THE  COMPLETE 


HORSE  DOCTOR; 


CONTAINLNG  THE 


HABITS,  DISEASES  AND  MANAGEMENT 


^^2  J 


OF 


'^^^    ^^^^^^ 


IN   THE 


;  J^i^TABLE   AND    ON   THE   ftOAD; 


<i)* 


WITH 


ADVICE  TO    PURCHASERS. 


t%-<i) 


DEWITT  &  DAVENPORT,  TRIBUNE  BUILDINGS, 

NO.   156   NASSAU-STREET. 

1849. 


?ce  Twi-nty-Pive  Cents. 


4 


/ 


<^^^.  /f^y^ 


THE     HORSE: 


I1"S 


HABITS,  DISEASES  AND  MANAGEMENT, 
IN    THE     STABLE, 

AND 

ON    THE    ROAD; 

WITH 

ADVICE      "TO      PURCHASERS. 


NEW  YORK; 
DEW  ITT    &     DAVENPORT, 


TRIBUNF,    BUILDINGS, 
1849. 


Entered,  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1815,  by 

HOMANS    &    ELLIS, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  tbs 
Southern  District  of  New- York. 


CONTENTS. 


PAQE. 

IntroductioNj , 5 

Impositions  on  Travellers, 12 

Choice  of  a  Horse, 14 

Size  of  ditto, jj. 

Age  of  ditto, 15 

Pace  of  ditto, 18 

Feet, 23 

Temper, 25 

On  Carriage, 27 

Food,. 28 

Oats, 29 

Mashes, 31 

Gruel  and  Codling, 32 

Water, 34 

Stumbling, 42 

Sweating, 43 

Shoeing, 44 

The  Mouth 47 

Saddle  and  Harness  Galls, 50 

Baiting, • 52 

Broken  Knees, 54 

Breed  of  Horses, 56 

The  Road  Horse, ib.  , 

The  Farmer's  Horse, ,  57 

The  Coach  Horse, 59 

The  Heavy  Draught  Horse, 60 

The  Dray  Horse, 61 

The  Cavalry  Horse, ib. 

The  Race  Horse, , 64 

The  Hunter, 65 

Galloways  and  Ponies, 65,66 

Remarks, , 67 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


The  contents  of  the  following  pages  are  the  results  of  long 
practical  experience,  and  have  been  written  with  a  view  to  the 
benefit  of  persons  not  thoroughly  practised  in  the  proper  manage- 
ment of  horses,  and  to  whom  the  knowledge  now  imparted  may 
be  useful.  To  men  of  business  in  particular,  whose  time  is  too 
much  occupied  to  admit  of  leisure  for  much  study,  beyond  their 
every-day  pursuits,  the  present  work  may  afford  information  not 
so  easily  acquired  in  other  forms.  A  few  minutes  devoted  to  the 
perusal  of  it  will  probably  amply  compensate  them  for  their  trouble, 
as  the  whole  is  comprised  in  a  small  compass.  It  will  be  found 
that  the  entire  treatment  of  the  horse,  that  is,  the  useful,  or  road 
horse,  is  fully  considered  in  the  subsequent  pages.  The  publish- 
ers, also,  are  not  ashamed  to  confess,  that  one  part  of  their  object 
has  been  to  induce  greater  humanity  than  is  usually  practised  in 
the  treatment  of  so  noble  an  animal ;  and  it  is  melancholy  to  re- 
flect, that  the  **  high-mettled  racer,"  in  the  words  of  the  song,  is 
not  unlikely  to  become  "  food  for  the  hounds."  Bui  those  who 
are  not  susceptible  of  the  finer  feelings  of  our  nature,  may  be  in- 
fluenced by  considerations  of  self-interest ;  and  it  would  not  only 
evince  humanity,  but  it  would  be  a  pecuniary  gain,  if  the  owners 
of  horses  paid  more  attention  than  they  usually  do  to  that  kind- 
ness of  treatment  which  is  dictated  by  Nature  herself. 


THE    HORSE. 


INTRODUCTION. 

In  all  nations,  and  in  all  ages,  tlie  horse  has  been 
esteemed  as  one  of  the  noblest  and  most  valuable  ani- 
mals of  the  brute  creation.  It  is  unnecessary  for  the 
object  of  the  present  work  to  make  any  particular  allu- 
sion to  the  pride  and  admiration  in  which  he  was  held 
in  ancient  Greece  and  Rome,  and  indeed  among  every 
warlike  people.  Caligula,  it  is  recorded,  invested 
his  horse  with  the  dignity  of  a  consul.  Innumerable 
passages  might  be  quoted  from  the  poets  descriptive 
and  illustrative  of  the  qualities  of  this  beautiful 
quadruped ;  but  we  shall  confine  ourselves,  in  this 
introductory  matter,  to  a  citation  from  the  Book  of 
Job.  The  following  verses  are  so  applicable  to  our 
subject,  and  so  sublime  in  conception  and  expression, 
that  it  would  be  almost  an  unpardonable  omission 
not  to  lay  them  before  the  reader,  who  need  not  be 
told  that  the  apostrophe  is  to  the  Deity. 

"  Hast  thou  given  the  horse  strength  1  Hast  thou 
clothed  his  neck  with  thunder]  Canst  thou  make 
him  afraid  as  a  grasshopper  1  The  glory  of  his 
nostrils  is  terrible.  He  paweth  in  the  valley,  and 
rejoiceth  in*  his  strength  :  he  goeth  on  to  meet  the 
armed  men.  He  mocketh  at  fear,  and  is  not  af- 
frighted; neither  turneth  he  back  from  the  sword. 
The  quiver  rattleth  against  him,  the  glittering  spear 
and  the  shield.     He  swalloweth  the  ground  with 

1*^ 


THE    HORSE. 


fierceness  and  rage ;  neither  believeth  he  that  ^t  is 
the  sound  of  the  ti'umpet.  He  saith  among  the 
trumpets,  Ha,  ha ;  and  he  smelleth  the  battle  afar 
off,  the  thunder  of  the  captains  and  the  shouting." 
Such  is  the  description  given  in  holy  writ  of  this 
superb  animal ;  but  it  is  now  our  task  to  treat  of  all 
that  relates  to  the  use  of  him,  in  a  plain  and  familiar 
style,  adapted  to  all  capacities. 

The  value  of  horses  mainly  depends  upon  their 
soundness  and  capability  for  work.     It  is,  therefore, 
of  the  utmost  importance  to  keep  them  in  the  most 
healthy  condition.     Yet,  this  being  universally  al- 
lowed, it  is  a  constant  and  general  complaint  that  so 
few  of  these  valuable  animals  are  preserved  in  a 
proper  state.     But  it  is  surprising  that  those  who  so 
complain  do  not  perceive  that  the  blame  principally 
rests  with  themselves,  as  the  remedy  lies  solely  in 
their  own  liaiids,  so  far,  at  least,  as  any  remedy  can 
be  applied.     There  can  be  no  doubt  that  persons 
who  employ  horses  wish  to  get  all  the  work  they 
can  from  them,  ^vithout  decreasing  their  value  ;  but 
that  they  do  not  effect  this  desirable  object  is  evi- 
dent from  the  prevalence  of  the  complaints  made 
upon  the  subject.      The  general  employers  of  horses, 
more  particularly  men  of  business  and  commercial 
men,  seem  to  think  that  a  knowledge  of  the  horse  is 
implanted  within  them  by  nature;   and  this  over- 
weening confidence  leads  them  into  an  infinity  of 
errors,   and  prevents  them  reading  what  better  in- 
formed persons  have  said  upon  so  important  a  topic. 
Nor  do  such  persons  take  even  common  precautions 
m  the  treatment  of  these  animals,  by  attending  to 
experience  or  example  ,•  but  they  trust  the  care  and 
health   of  their  horses   to  ostlers   and  others,    who 
have  but  a  secondary  interest  in  preserving  them  in 
good  condition.     It  is  only  fair,  however,'^to  admit 
that  the  little  benefit  derived  by  persons  keeping  or 
entrusted  with  horses  from  works  alreadv  published 


TliE    HORSfi.  7 

regarding  tlieir  treatment,  may  be  partly  owing  to 
the  expensiveness,  or  voluminoiisness  of  such  treati- 
ses, requiring  either  more  money  or  time  than  it 
may  be  convenient  to  afford  for  that  purpose.  To 
which  may  be  added,  that  hitherto  there  has  not 
been  a  single  work  issued  from  the  press  of  general 
and  complete  utility  on  this  subject. 

Here,  then,  the  reader  may  perhaps  ask.  What  am 
I  to  do  ?  I  take  every  possible  care  of  my  horse  ; 
he  has  abundant  food ;  yet  he  is  not  what  I  could 
wish  him.  Another  may  say,-^ — I  do  not  think  great 
feeding  good  for  the  health  of  a  horse,  from  an  idea 
that  too  much  food  causes  broken  wind,  or  from  an 
apprehension  of  bringing  on  inflammatory  disorders. 
To  go  through  the  reasons,  pro  and  con,  that  people 
might  urge  in  vindicating  each  his  own  particular 
mode  of  treatment  of  the  noble  animal  subject  to 
their  charge,  would  be  a  mere  waste  of  words. 
Ask  them  to  explain  why  they  do  this  or  that,  and 
although  they  may  give  you  an  answer  perfectly  com- 
placent to  themselves,  they  never  succeed  in  making 
converts  of  others.  Hence,  it  is  apparent,  that 
their  judgment  is  not  based  uj)on  any  rational 
foundation.  To  correct  erroneous  opinions  on  this 
interesting  question,  to  qualify  horses  to  work  with 
ease  to  themselves,  and  also  to  contribute  to  the  plea- 
sure of  their  owners,  constitute  the  intent  andobject 
of  this  little  tract. 

That  horses  ought  to  lemain  sound,  and  would  do 
so,  to  a  much  later  period  of  life  than  is  the  fact  at 
present,  will,  it  is  hoped,  be  demonstrated  in  the 
course  of  these  pages.  That  every  thing  animate 
must  decay  by  the  progress  of  time,  is  an  axiom 
too  trite  to  be  dwelt  upon ;  but  trees  or  men  may 
decay  prematurely  for  want  of  proper  culture,  and 
so  may  horses.  Transplant  a  tree  to  an  unconge- 
nial soil  or  situation,  and  it  will  cease  to  thrive ;  or 
it  may  perish  through  some  injury  to  the  roots ;  or 


a 


lIiK    HOIISU, 


from  other _causes  operating  against  the  laws  of 
nature;  whereas,  under  different  circumstances,  it 
might  continue  to  prosper  much  longer.  The  writer 
of  this  remembers  the  grief  of  a  friend  at  the  decline 
of  an  ornamental  and  valuable  timber  tree,  in  con- 
sequence of  his  driving  a  large  spike  nail  into  the 
trunk,  not  thinking  at  the  moment  it  would  do  the  least 
injury.  In  another  instance,  a  person,  in  order  to 
improve  his  grounds,  raised  a  bank  of  earth  around 
some  elm  trees,  which,  to  his  astonishment  and  regret 
died.  ^  So  it  is  with  men  and  other  animals  :  climate, 
soil,  situation,  and  the  nature  of  their  employment, 
have  the  most  important  bearings  upon  their  health, 
soundness,  and  capacity  for  usefulness. 

Our  present  object,  therefore,  is  to  recommend 
the  rnost  judicious  method  of  treating  the  horse,  with 
the  view  of  correcting  false  notions  and  of  increas- 
ing the  value  of  that  beautiful  animal.  Analogy 
will  show  us  that  this  project  is  not  so  impracticable 
as  many  persons  might  imagine.  The  gardener  has 
brought  many  tender  plants  from  the  East  to  flourish, 
even  in  the  rigour  of  a  northern  winter.  Tlie 
Ethiopian  will  live  in  Greenland;  the  Laplander  in 
Africa;  but  they  would  probably  not  do  so,  without 
due  attention  to  the  change  thus  made  in  place  and 
circumstance.  It  is  science  that  is  their  instructor. 
^  Morgan,  in  his  Treatise  on  Horsemanship,  pub- 
lished about  two  centuries  back,  tells  his  readers  to 
"  put  one  bottle  of  sheiTy  into  a  pint  of  water,  as  the 
ordinaiy  drink  of  a  horse,  with  much  bread.  The 
blood  being  derived  from  horses  originally  brought 
from  the  East,  the  wine  is  necessary  to  keep  up  the 
heat  of  blood  required  in  this  country."  This  treat- 
ment would  now  be  laughed  at  as  injurious ;  and  it 
IS  to  be  doubted  whether  the  grooms  of  those  days 
did  not  appropriate  the  greater  portion  of  the  wine 
to  their  own  share,  and  no  less  to  the  advantage  of 
their  horses. 


THE     HOUSE.  9 

Finding,  then,  that  not  only  man,  but  birds  and 
flowers,  as  well  as  many  things,  intended  perhaps 
less  for  use  than  ornament,  are  capable  of  undei'- 
going  mutations  of  various  kinds,  it  would  be  folly 
to  suppose  that  animals  adapted  and  given  to  man 
for  his  necessities,  are  not  capable  of  similar  changes 
without  detriment  to  their  streno'th  and  constitution. 
I',  is  true,  that,  like  the  plants  before  alluded  to,  those 
animals  would  degenerate  without  proper  care;  but 
the  same  all-seeing  Providence  that  has  so  bounti- 
fully provided  these  "  creatures  to  our  uses,"  has 
also  endowed  us  with  reasoning  faculties,  so  as  to 
enable  us  to  reap  the  full  advantage  from  them. 
Although  it  is  impossible  to  prevent  the  infirmities 
of  age,  it  is  at  ail  events  in  our  power  to  avoid  or 
protect  the  beasts  of  the  field,  sent  as  they  are  for 
our  good,  from  wanton  or  inconsiderate  ill-treatment. 
Much  of  tlieir  present  sufferings,  without  any  maud- 
lin sensibility,  might  be  alleviated  by  the  diffusion 
of  more  knowledge  on  the  subject  amongst  persons 
who  ought  to  feel  interested  in  such  matters.  It  is 
our  duty  to  use,  not  abuse,  the  creatures  made  for 
our  service,  and  for  that  purpose  to  avail  ourselves 
of  any  means  best  calculated  to  prolong  their  exist- 
ence. Such  must  be,  in  fact,  the  wish  of  every  re- 
flecting man,  who  keeps,  in  particular,  a  horse,  or 
horses,  not  only  from  feelings  of  humanity,  but  slso 
for  the  sake  of  profit ;  and  Vv-e  niay  feel  assured  that 
in  all  cases,  the  best  and  wisest  policy  is  to  treat  a 
horse  with  kindness  and  gentleness.  The  tendency 
to  act  wrong  in  this  respect,  ]iroceeds  less  from  hard- 
ness of  heart  than  from  the  absence  of  competent 
knowledge  on  the  subject,  as  we  have  already  hinted, 
the  mass  of  information  concerning  it  being  spread 
over,  or  scattered  through,  so  many  extensive  works, 
that  few  people  have  leisure  for  the  perusal  of  them. 

The  best  horsemen  are  to  be  found  among  noble- 
men and  gentlemen.     They  feel  proud  of  the  accom- 


10  illE    HORSE. 

plishment  of  being  good  riders,  and  they  are  early 
accustomed  to  the  sports  of  the  field.  With  "  all 
appliances  and  means  to  boot,"  it  would  be  strange 
if  they  did  not  possess  the  best  horses,  the  best 
trainers,  and  the  best  grooms.  But  the  mere  travel- 
ler's horse  is  comparatively  a  son^y  affair,  the  master 
having  little  spare  time  to  see  to  the  wants  of  his 
steed,  but  leaving  him  to  the  mercy  of  rapacious 
ostlers,  or  people  utterly  unfit  to  be  entrusted  with 
the  management  of  horses.  Yet  the  poor  hack  of 
the  commercial  traveller  is,  o*  ought  to  be,  as  pre- 
cious to  him  as  the  most  high-blooded  racer  to  a 
patron  of  the  turf.  Men  of  business  seem  to  think 
their  horses  mere  machines ;  and  they  seldom  study 
how  to  make  the  most  of  them.  Brush  off  the  dirt 
which  offends  the  eye,  or  spoils  the  clothes,  and  give 
the  animal  a  regular  portion  of  food.  Wheels  must 
be  greased,  or  the  naves  would  burn,  and  the  pro- 
gress of  the  carriage  stopped.  So  with  horses  ;  they 
must  be  fed,  by  the  same  rule  as  you  grease  caiTiage 
wheels,  or  they  would  in  like  manner  be  brought  to 
a  termination  of  their  career.  Why,  then,  so  much 
apathy  towards  those  four-footed  sei'\'ants  who  con- 
tribute largely  to  the  pleasure  of  the  rich,  and  are 
the  means  by  which  multitudes  are  in  the  habit  of 
procuring  their  daily  bread  1  What,  for  example, 
would  the  commercial  traveller  do  without  his  horse. 
Why,  the  horse  is  part  and  parcel  of  his  very  exist- 
ence. And  who  has  so  little  time  to  look  after 
him  ?  Yet,  with  the  same  opportunities  now  at  his 
command,  he  might,  from  the  knowledge  he  may 
acquire  by  the  perusal  of  these  pages,  turn  his  horse 
to  much  better  account,  save  himself  much  expense 
in  the  course  of  the  year,  get  the  animal  to  do  his 
work  in  a  better  manner,  and  with  the  pleasing  re- 
flection that  he  has  also  prevented  the  infliction  of 
needless  suffering.  In  fact,  the  reader  will  find,  by 
paying  a  littla  attention  to  the  remarks  now  ad- 


THE    HORSE.  11 

dressed  to  him,  that  he  would  seldom  have  a  bad 
horse,  if  it  were  not  for  gross  mismanagement.  It^- 
norance  is  the  sole  cause  of  the  non-discovery  of  the 
good  qualities  of  the  animal,  and  the  natural  effect 
is  to  mar  them. 

In  a  religious  point  of  view,  it  is  also  incumbent 
upon  us  to  treat  with  kindness  all  those  animals 
which  are  given  to  us  for  our  use.  The  horse,  in 
particular,  should  be  an  object  of  our  especial 
regard.  How  many  of  the  complaints  under  which 
he  labours  are  the  consequences  of  man's  brutality! 
His  diseases  are  few,  even  in  an  artificial  state, 
and  those  few  are  brought  on  by  ill-treatment,  or, 
in  milder  language,  mismanagemeilt.  Yet  there  may 
be  quite  as  much  cruelty  in  the  oue  case  as  the 
other,  if  the  latter  be  not  of  the  two  the  worst. 

Whose  horses  have  to  undergo  such  unremitting 
fatigue  as  those  of  commercial  travellers'?  Yet, 
where  is  there  besides  so  large  a  body  of  men  who 
are  enabled  to  pay  so  little  regard  to  them,  or  to  ac- 
quire a  competent  knowledge  of  the  best  mode  of 
treating  them  I  They  know  that  horses  have  mouths 
to  be  fed,  for  this  knowledge  is  forced  upon  them  by 
the  cost  of  their  keep,  and  they  know  also  that  the 
mouth  is  useful  as  a  place  for  the  bit,  without  which 
they  could  not  be  ridden  or  driven,  antl  this,  gene- 
rally speaking,  is  the  full  ext  ,nt  of  the  knowledge 
possessed  by  the  class  of  persons  alluded  to  of  horses. 
To  understand  the  quantities  of  solids  or  fluids  they 
require  for  the  preservation  of  health,  is  scarcely  to 
be  expected  of  them.  Some  persons  have  a  fanciful 
theory  in  favour  of  giving  them  drugs,  both  in  their 
meat  and  water;  in  most  of  which  cases,  if  the 
animals  could  speak,  they  would  say,  "  Throw  physic 
to  the  dogs."  Others  think  that  soapy,  or  dirty,  filthy 
water,  is  better  than  the  clearest,  as  they  will  drink 
more  sparingly  of  it ;  but  horses  are  not  likely,  any 


12  J'ili^    HORSE. 

more    than    human  behigs,  to  grow  healthy  upon 
poison,  or  to  fatten  upon  filth. 

Before  any  one  can  obtain  a  mature  acquaintance 
with  the  character  of  the  horse,  he  must  have  had 
no  ordinary  experience  of  his  habits.  He  must  have 
been  almost  cradled  in  the  manger;  his  life  must  have 
been  passed  in  the  stable.  This  would  be  little  suit- 
able to  commercial  life,  the  members  of  which  are 
drilled  from  the  school  to  the  counter;  there  they 
serve  an  apprenticeship ;  then  are  probably  shop- 
men ;  and  eventually  they  are  started  upon  the  road. 
Well,  they  thenceforth  travel  from  town  to  town, 
canvass  for  orders,  arrive  quite  jaded  at  their  resting 
place  for  the  evening,  and  entrust  their  equally  jaded 
companion  to  the  ostler  of  the  inn.  In  the  course 
of  time  they  probably  pick  up  some  dear-bought 
experience  ;  but  it  is  not  in  the  nature  of  things 
that  they  should  attain  any  very  profound  or  correct 
ideas  of  the  management  of  horses.  Numerous 
tradesmen,  and  persons  who  have  been  brought  up 
to  professions,  may  also  understand  the  force  and  ap- 
plicability of  these  observations,  although  they  may 
be  slow  to  confess  that  the  cap  fits  themselves. 

IMPOSITIONS  TO  WHICH  A  TRAVELLER  IS  SUBJECTED. 

Manifold  are  the  impositions  practised  upon  the 
unwary  in  travelling,  and  of  which  none  but  the 
more  experienced  can  form  the  least  conception. 
What  can  be  a  greater  misfortune  than  to  find  that 
your  horse  has  met  with  some  accident  at  a  distance 
from  home,  and  you  are  obliged  to  leave  him  to  the 
conscience  of  an  ostler]  You  have  to  pay  not  only 
the  amount  of  his  keep,  but  the  ostler  has  a  friend 
in  the  farrier,  whose  kind  offices  are  also  put  in 
requisition,  and  whose  bill  must  likewise  be  paid; 
and  a  variety  of  other  contingencies  increase  the 
sum  total.     A  short  time  since  a  commercial  travel- 


THE   llOKSL.  1** 


ler  connected  with  a  London  house,  had  his  horse 
cas't*  in  the  stable,  and  in  struggling  to  regain  his 
loffs  kicked  them  through  the  side  of  the  stall,  taking 
a  small  piece  of  the  skin  oif  the  front  of  the  jom  . 
The  leo-  swelled,  and  the  part  hijured  bemg  ajomt, 
of  coui°se  became  stiff.      Ostlers  in  their  way  are 
cunrincr  fellows,  and  by  always  concludmg,  as  well 
they  inay,  that  very  few  of  their    customers    are 
deeply  versed  in  veterinary  science,  soon  detect  how 
far    their   knowledge    goes,   and  in  this  particular 
instance,  the  man  of  the  stables  _  found  as  complete 
a    greenhorn    as  he    could    desire.       To    increase, 
therefore,  the  swelling  and  stiffness,  the  ostler  ap- 
plied some  of  his  c^cacious  oils  to  the  wounded  part, 
Khe  fraternity  are  never  deficient  in  nostrums  lor 
occasion)  for  the  express  purpose  of  retarding  the 
cure        The  result  was  that  the  clever  ostler  con- 
trived, by  various    expedients,    to  keep  the  horse 
under  his  own  care  for  three  months,  but  offering  to 
purchase  him  at  a  fair  price,  thereby  meanmg  quite 

the  reverse.  ,     ,  ^^ui-, 

Never  take  the  word  of  an  ostler  where  the  health 
of  your  horse  is  concerned,  or  that  of  the  ostler  s  far- 
rier,  or   veterinary  surgeon:   for,  without  attempt- 
ino-  to  disparage  respectable  men  in  either  of  those 
departments.  It  is  notorious  that  there    are   many 
unworthy  members   of  both,  who  dono    scruple    o 
participate   in   the  dishonest  gams   of  the   rascally 
ostler.     In  case  of  necessity,  always  apply  to  some 
creditable  person  in  the  neighbourhood  to  recom- 
mend you  to  a  professional  man  of  character;   but 
as  prevention  is  better  than  cure,  it  is  our  intention 
in  the  sequel  to  point  out  the  best  means  of  avoid- 
ing the  accidents  and  maladies  to  which  horses  m 
common  use  are  liable. 

*  Thrown  on  his  back,  and  unable  to  get  up. 


14;  THE    HORSE. 


CHOOSING  A    HORSE. 


In  choosing  a  horse,  consider  well  for  ^\hat  work 
you  intend  him.  If  you  want  him  for  two  or  more 
purposes,  judge  of  his  qualities  with  reference  to 
the  most  important  of  those  objects ;  that  is,  if  you 
want  a  real  working  horse,  to  draw  heavy  carriages, 
four-wheeled  chaises,  cabriolets,  or  those  lighter 
vehicles,  one  horse  chariots,  keep  only  one  for  that 
business.  Under  this  description,  indeed,  may  be 
included  the  horses  of  tradesmen  and  travellers 
generally ;  but  not  those  of  gentlemen  who  keep  a 
respectable  stud. 

To  commercial  men,  who  now  seldom  ride  on 
horseback,  but  who  make  their  journeys  in  gigs,  a 
good  harness-horse  is  the  desideratum.  This  is  more 
especially  the  case  in  the  iron,  or  Manchester,  and 
indeed  in  many  other  trades,  where  the  traveller 
has  to  convey  weighty  samples  or  patterns.  Nor 
may  it  be  amiss  to  observe  in  this  place  that  the 
heavy  loads  which  the  horses  of  some  commercial 
travellers  have  to  drag  after  them  reflect  little  credit 
upon  the  humanity  of  the  owners — almost  a  regular 
cart  load  !  But  for  the  exact  kind  of  horse  best  fitted 
for  such  uses,  it  would  be  extremely  diflicult  to  lay 
down  any  fixed  rule.  All  we  can  do  is  to  give  some 
general  instructions,  by  means  of  which,  with  a  little 
attention,  the  judgment  of  persons  may  be  mate- 
rially assisted  in  the  selection  of  animals  for  use,  as 
well  as  in  keeping  them  ready  for  their  work. 

SIZE  OF  HORSE. 

Horses  for  the  road  should  never  be  under  four- 
teen hands  high,  rarely  less  than  fourteen  and  a  half, 
and  never  above  sixteen.  As  a  general  rule,  fifteen 
hands  and   a  half  should  ')e  the  extent.     If  your 


THK    HORSE.  16 

horse  be  required  to  draw  a  light  chaise,  without 
much  incumbrance, he  maybe  small,  and  the  better 
for  being  three  parts  blood.  Where  there  is  more 
weight  to  contend  against,  you  must  choose  a  heavier 
horse.  Bear  in  mind  that,  as  a  rule,  there  must 
always  be  weight  to  contend  with  weight.  A  heavy 
animal,  by  merely  throwing  his  bulk  against  the 
collar,  materially  assists  in  moving  his  load,  while 
the  lighter  one,  if  over-weighted,  has  all  to  do  by 
muscular  power,  which  soon  becomes  exhausted ; 
for,  in  the  latter  case,  the  horse  is  continually  strain- 
ing to  effect  by  violence,  that  which  in  the  former  is 
accomplished  by  weight  only.  Otherwise,  give  each 
horse  his  burthen  in  proportion  to  his  weight,  and  the 
blood-horse  would  kill  the  other  in  a  very  short  time. 
For  the  heavier  loads,  therefore,  speed  and  breed 
must  be  abandoned  for  weight ;  and  the  horse  must 
have  the  round  arched  neck,  large  rotund  baiTel  (or 
body)  and  rounded  hind  quarters. 

AGE. 

Under  this  head  much  prejudice  exists,  and  many 
false  notions  prevail.  One  person  supposes  that  if 
he  buys  a  horse  when  he  is  young,  it  must  last  him 
so  much  the  longer  than  if  he  had  bought  him  at  a 
more  advanced  age.  Others,  again,  imagine  that 
having  purchased  a  young  horse,  they  are  not  likely 
to  be  serious  losers  by  him,  if  they  sell  him  again 
while  the  mark  remains  in  his  mouth.  This  may  be 
all  very  well  with  those  who  have  more  horses  than 
they  can  possibly  exercise,  and  which  are,  therefore, 
unused  to  a  day's  work.  But  such  is  not  the  fate  of 
the  horses  we  are  now  alluding  to,  those  which  are 
doomed  to  hard  daily  toil  on  the  highways,  resting 
only  on  the  Sunday  from  their  heavy  drudgery. 
With  what  joy  we  may  suppose  the  poor  animals 
welcome  the  return   of  that  day,  unless  it  be  their 


16  THE    HORSE. 

piteous  lot  to  belong  to  some  unfeeling  or  thought- 
less employer,  in  which  case  that  day  of  repose  to 
others  is  to  them  converted  into  the  most  laborious 
of  all  the  week. 

Persons  in  business  full  well  know  that  they  do 
not  pay  men's  wages  to  persons  in  their  employment 
until  they  have  arrived  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  ; 
not  from  any  unjust  motive,  but  because  they  have 
not  attained  the  strength  of  manhood  to  enable  them 
to  perform  men's  work.  It  is  their  competency  to 
go  through  so  much  labour  that  entitles  them  to  full 
wages.  Now,  the  horse  must  be  from  seven  to  eight 
years  old  to  put  him  on  a  par  with  a  man~ of  twenty- 
one.  \  et  people  are  so  misjudging,  or  rather  they 
are  so  ignorant  of  this  fact,  that  they  imagine  the 
horse  is  better  calculated  for  hard  work,  or  long 
journeys,  before  than  after  the  age  mentioned.  If 
experience  could  teach  them,  they  might  readily  per- 
ceive the  younger  the  horse  is,  the  sooner  he  will  be 
strained  and  worn  out,  by  being  overtasked.  Where 
the  work  is  light  (carrying  no  heavy  loads,)  and  the 
stay  frequent,  at  places  no  great  distances  apart,  and 
provided  you  drive  moderately,  a  six  year  old  horse 
may  suit  your  purpose ;  that  is,  if  you  are  particu- 
larly anxious  to  have  a  mark  in  his  mouth;  if  not, 
one  of  seven  or  eight  would  be  preferable.  In  cases 
where  the  loads  are  carried  liglit,  and  you  do  not  often 
rest  any  length  of  time  on  your  route,  or  if  your  vehicle 
is  heavy,  and  you  do  not  drive  at  a  very  moderate 
pace,  never  choose  a  horse  under  eight  years  old,  and 
then  he  will  last  you  longer  and  serve  you  better  than 
any  young  one.  Stage-coach  proprietors,  and  all 
great  dealers  in  horses,  do  not  consider  them  aged 
until  after  their  sixteenth  year ;  and  provided  they 
have  not  been  subject  to  ill-usage,  they  will  be  found 
sound  and  in  good  condition  long  after  that  period. 

Old  Elwes,  the  celebrated  miser,  would  not  permit 
his  colts  to  be  broken  in  until  they  were  six  years 


THE    HORSE.  17 

old  :  tlie  consequence  was  that  when  his  horses  were 
upwards  of  twenty  years  of  age,  upon  their  backs 
he  was  able  to  beat  any  other  cattle  in  the  field  in 
hunting.  All  that  is  required  for  work  are  young 
legs,  and  what  are  termed  old  mouths.  This  descrip- 
tion of  horse  is  absolutely  necessary  for  the  heavy 
wagon  and  for  four-vN'heeled  carnages. 

It  must  nevertheless  be  admitted,  that  horses  may 
also  be  too  old  :  but  &o  long  as  they  are  sound  upon 
their  legs  and  keep  up  their  condition,  they  are  always 
better  suited  for  hard  work  than  young  ones.  At  the 
present  moment  there  is  living  a  gray  mare,  the  pro- 
perty of  a  surgeon  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Finsbury- 
square,  upwards  of  forty  years  old,  yet  which  still 
does  her  work  in  admirable  style  !  It  is  an  attested 
fact,  that,  at  thirty-six  years  of  age,  this  surprising 
animal  performed  a  distance  of  eighty  miles  a  day, 
two  successive  days,  and  one  hundred  miles  in  one 
day;  and  that  too  without  exhibiting  any  remarkable 
symptoms  of  fatigue  ! !  This,  it  will  be  said,  is  a  rare 
instance  of  the  powers  or  the  horse,  and  so  it  is ;  but 
it  is  so  chiefly  from  the  disposition  of  most  owners 
of  horses  to  overwork  them  when  young,  and  so  wear 
them  out  before  they  are  old.  The  mare  in  question 
is  still  perfectly  straight  on  her  legs,  and  free  from 
all  complaint,  except  a  slight  asthmatical  cough,  ob- 
servable only  on  foggy  days,  and  then  only  on  coming 
out  or  ffoiufr  into  the  stable.  It  occasions  no  real 
inconvenience,  and  is  merely  a  sign  of  the  natural 
effects  of  time  on  her  constitution. 

It  may  be  here  worthy  of  remark,  that  many  per- 
sons are  using  very  old  horses,  imagining  them  to  be 
much  younger  than  they  really  are.  For  instance, 
a  gentleman  keeps  a  horse  until  he  supposes  him  to 
be  sixteen,  or  thereabouts.  He  then  thinks  of  dis- 
posing of  him  as  being  worn,  and  getting  a  younger. 
The  animal  is  accordingly  transferred  to  a  dealer, 
who  sees  him  well  upon  his  legs  and  fresh  for  his  age. 

9* 


18  THE    HOUSE 

He  then  hi^hojjs^  him,  so  as  to  make  him  appear  of 
the  age  for  which  the  dealer  wishes  him  to  pass. 
Should  he  chance  to  find  a  considerate  owner,  he 
passes  on  again,  until  he  is  a  second  time  regarded 
as  too  old  for  further  service.  Again  sold  to  a  dealer, 
ground  young  again,  resold,  and  a  new  purchaser 
pleased  with  the  idea  of  his  young  horse.  Cases  of 
repeated  bishoping  are  now  less  common  than  for- 
merly; but  that  they  have  occurred,  there  can  be  no 
doubt ;  and  the  old  gray  mare  alluded  to  would 
probably  have  undergone  this  operation  more  than 
once,  if  she  had  ever  been  so  unlucky  as  to  have 
fallen  into  a  dealer's  hands.  The  Dowager  Lady 
Lonsdale  had  tv\'o  old  hunters  as  caiTiao:©  horses,  the 
one  thnty-nme,  the  other  iorty-one  or  forty-two  years 
of  age.  Some  time  since,  two  horses  were  workino^ 
as  carriage  horses,  at  Dulwich,  even  older.  The 
late  Mr.  Astley  vv^as  presented  by  the  Duke  of  Leeds 
with  a  Barbary  horse,  tliat  became  very  celebrated, 
performed  as  a  waiter,  and  lived  to  the  great  age  of 
forty-three.  It  was  not  long  since  recorded  in  Bell's 
Life  in  Ltondon,  that  a  horse  had  died  upwards  of  fifty 
years  of  age.  Many  other  instances  of  the  longevity 
of  this  noble  animal  might  be  adduced ;  but  enough 
have  been  quoted  to  prove,  that  if  the  horse  be  not 
old  from  abuse,  he  will  not  be  so  from  years,  at  eight. 

PACE. 

**  It  is  the  pace  that  kills,"  observed  Lord  Forester, 
and  all  who  are  obliged  to  keep  horses  for  their  live- 
lihood would  do  well  to  bear  this  maxim  in  mind;  and 
also  to  remember,  that  the  pace  which  is  slow  for  one 
horse  is  fast  for  another,  and  vice  versa.  To  hear  some 
of  the  knowing  gentlemen  assembled  round  a  comfort- 
able fire  in  the  travellers'  room  of  a  country  inn, 
vaunting  of  the  feats  of  their  horses,  can  only  excite , 

*  Marking  the  t^cth  with  a  hot  irOD. 


THE    HORSE.  19 

among  reed  judges,  pity  or  contempt.  Even  sup- 
posing the  tales  they  recount  were  true,  which  in 
most  cases  they  are  not,  these  dealers  in  the  marvel- 
lous only  expose  their  own  ignorance  and  folly.  To 
such  persons,  therefore,  it  may  be  as  well  to  mention, 
that  one  thousand  guineas  have  for  some  time  been 
oftered,  and  are  still  unclaimed,  for  any  horse  that 
has  performed,  at  moderate  paces,  twenty  miles  a 
day  throughout  the  year.  After  this,  it  is  to  be  hoped, 
that  these  empty  boasters  will  cease  to  relate  stories 
often,  of  a  verity,  out-heroding  Herod. 

Should  a  person  have  a  horse  capable  of  perform- 
ing sixteen  miles  within  the  hour,  still  from  eight  to 
nine  would  be  quite  enough  to  work  him  as  a  gene- 
ral pace.  If,  however,  you  wish  to  keep  up  his  full 
pace  you  may  put  him  to  his  speed  for  a  few  yards 
occasionally;  but  vain  would  be  the  hope,  with  daily 
hard  wear  and  tear,  to  keep  him  to  that  pace  for  a 
constancy.  A  coach-horse,  running  at  the  rate  of 
twelve  miles  within  the  hour,  and  only  doing  one 
short  stage  on  his  days  of  work,  will  not,  at  the  end 
of  two  years,  be  able  to  do  nine  milos  within  the 
hour,  and  he  is  allowed  to  work  only  four  days  a 
week.  Make  your  paces  moderate,  according  to  the 
utmost  speed  of  your  horse,  and  agreeing  with  i  he 
weight  of  samples,  or  other  luggage,  you  rec[u  re 
him  to  draw,  and  with  regard  to  the  distance  you 
may  have  to  travel  daily.  But  when  you  buy  an 
aged  horse,  the  best  plan  is  to  lea.ve  to  himself  the 
choice  of  his  pace ;  and  he  will  then  ado^Dt  the  one 
he  can  endure  the  longest.  Put  him  out  of  his  own 
course,  and  you  soon  tire  him. 

There  is  yet  another  reason,  and  an  important  one, 
for  selecting  old  horses  ;  they  know  their  business, 
and  will  do  it  properly  if  left  to  themselves ;  while 
two  young  horses  (a  master  not  used  to  horses,  and 
a  horse  not  used  to  work)  coming  in  contact  on  the 
road,  are  very  likely  to  be  productive  of  an  accident 


20  THE    HORSE. 

from  each  being  equally  ignorant  of  tlie  meaning 
and  intentions  of  the  other.  Who  would  set  the 
blind  to  lead  the  blind  ]  Many  serious  accidents  are 
to  be  attributed  to  the  cause  now  assigned.  Some 
men  are  very  fond  of  racing  on  the  road,  priding 
themselves  on  their  horse's  metal.  This  is,  to  say 
the  least  of  it,  a  very  absurd  and  dangerous  practice, 
and  one  that  no  gentleman  would  follow.  Admit- 
ting that  your  horse  may  have  the  superiority  over 
another,  still  you  may  labour  under  disadvantages, 
of  which  you  are  perhaps  not  aware.  First,  have 
you  equal  weights  1  Next,  are  your  horses  of  one 
size  ]  Then,  do  your  chaises  run  equally  well  ? 
Are  your  wheels  of  the  same  size  ]  Have  both 
horses  been  performing  a  similar  number  of  miles, 
at  the  same  pace,  for  any  given  period  1  Are  they 
of  the  same  age  ]  Are  they  equally  well  bred  1 
And  have  they  been  fed  exactly  alike  ]  Here  are 
nine  questions,  and  on  the  answers  to  every  one  of 
which  much  would  inevitably  depend  in  a  match ; 
and  even  these  might  be  multiplied  and  dwelt  upon 
more  at  large.  But  if  it  were  upon  these  grounds 
only,  trotting  horses  against  each  other  indiscrimi- 
nately would  be  great  folly.  And  what  is  gained 
by  this  silly  practice,  but  suffering  to  the  poor 
animals — aching  muscles  and  feverish  feet]  Even 
i,i'  you  succeed  in  the  match,  you  may  never  have  the 
satisfaction  of  exulting  over  your  antagonist ;  you 
ma}"^  never  know  what  opinion  he  has  formed  of  your 
own  horse  :  you  may  never  see  him  again ;  or,  if  you 
possi])ly  do,  he  may  plead  any  of  the  foregoing 
reasons  for  being  beaten  himself.  You  have,  there- 
fore, all  your  exertions  for  nothing  but  the  gratifica- 
ti(jn  of  a  paltry  ambition,  while  your  poor  beast  is 
tlistressed  by  your  folly.  That  this  is  the  natural 
consecjuence  must  be  obvious  to  any  one.  But  if 
proof  were  necessary,  here  it  is :  you  push  the 
rjnimrt]  wantonly  for  some  distance  at  the  top  of  his 


speed,  and  the  absurdity  of  so  doing  is  pro\ed  by  tli(» 
evidence  afforded  in  the  course  of  reg^ular  racing-. 
The  racer  takes  time  in  training :  he  then  runs  a 
course  (if  very  severe)  of  two  miles,  or  thereabouts, 
only,  at  speed ;  and  after  this  he  requires  the  great- 
est care.  The  trotter  also  takes  some  time  in 
training;  he  then  performs  his  task  of  (say)  sixteen 
miles  within  the  hour;  after  which  he  has  the  utmost 
care  taken  of  him  for  the  next  six  weeks,  before  he 
is  again  fit  for  work.  Now,  the  top  of  any  horse's 
pace  must  be  his  utmost  speed,  whether  it  be  six  or 
sixteen  miles  per  hour ;  and  if  your  horse  can  do 
only  the  six,  and  you  keep  him  on  at  that  rate  the  one 
hour  through,  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  will  have 
performed  a  task  as  great,  and  nearly  as  distressing  to 
himself,  as  another  horse  that  has  accomplished  the 
sixteen  miles  in  the  same  period.  It  may  perhaps 
be  said  that  six  miles  an  hour  ig  an  exceedingly  slow 
jjace  for  the  speed  of  a  horse's  trot ;  but  the  object 
of  this  argument  is  to  show  tht;  absurdity  of  supposing 
that  horses  can  go  beyond  a  certain  or  natural  pace, 
for  any  distance,  without  being  distressed,  and  conse- 
quently injured.  All  beyond  this  is  artificial,  as  any 
rate  of  speed  mustbe  that  requires  particular  attention 
or  training  to  accomplish  it.  The  horse  that  does  the 
sixteen  miles  after  so  much  care  and  preparation, 
might  have  done  nine  or  ten  without  any  such  means 
having  been  used,  and  with  ease  to  himself.  The 
latter,  then,  would  be  his  natural  pace,  and  he  should 
not  have  been  forced  beyond  it. 

Horses  that  can  be  pushed  to  ten  miles  as  their 
utmost  pace,  without  training,  would  do  from  seven 
to  eight  as  their  natural  pace.  They  ought  not  then 
to  be  urged  beyond  this  as  their  customary  rate,  at 
which  they  will  continue  to  make  ordinary  journeys, 
day  after  day,  for  a  long  time,  without  losing  their 
condition,  or  with  much  injury  to  their  constitution, 
though    requiring    that   attention    to   bo   hereafter 


2%  THE  HORS£. 

recommended.  One  fact  deserves  to  be  recorded. 
A  gentleman  possessed  a  horse,  which  he  discovered 
could  perform  one  mile  in  three  and  a  half  minutes, 
and  considered  him  a  treasure.  The  owner  doubted 
not  that  the  horse  could  be  soon  trained  to  do  six- 
teen miles  in  the  hour,  (his  ordinary  pace  was  eight,) 
but  he  never  succeeded  in  doing  more  than  twelve. 

In  what  has  been  said,  there  has  been  no  intention 
to  condemn  racing,  under  proper  circumstances  and 
regulations  ;  but  there  is  a  season  for  all  things  ;  and 
men  in  business,  or  commercial  travellers,  can  scarce- 
ly be  supposed  to  be  able  to  spare  their  horses  to  go 
into  training  for  racers.  Neither  is  the  road  the  fittest 
place  for  that  kind  of  sport,  even  if  such  persons  were 
more  expert  jockeys  than  they  generally  are ;  and  by 
attempting  it  they  only  make  themselves  ridiculous. 

The  observations  just  made  on  the  artificial  and 
natural  paces  of  horses,  are  intended  as  a  guide  to 
those  who  use  them  under  seven  and  eight  years  old. 
After  that  age,  they  generally  acquire  an  uniform 
pace,  which  is  their  natural  one,  at  which  they  will 
continue  a  long  period,  and  perform  their  work  com- 
fortably. Put  them  out  of  this  pace,  and  they  soon 
begin  to  show  fatigue,  in  comparison  with  their 
strength  and  vigour  when  left  to  themselves.  Yet 
even  under  mismanagement,  they  will  beat  younger 
horses,  if  the  latter  have  been  equally  subject  to  ill 
treatment. 

Should  you  meet  with  a  horse  of  the  age  required 
for  your  purpose,  with  his  legs  and  feet  in  good 
order,  but  his  paces  uncertain,  it  is  a  proof  that  he 
has  not  been  in  respectable  hands,  and  that  his 
owner  was  no  judge  of  horses.  You  have,  therefore, 
to  train  him  into  his  regular  paces,  and  in  so  doing 
be  carefal  to  observe  the  foregoing  rules.  Old 
horses  with  this  irregularity  of  pace  must  be  ex- 
amined with  more  than  ordinary  caution,  as  there  is 
the  geater  chance  of  being  unsound. 


THE  HURa»E.  23 


FEET. 

The  feet  of  the  horse  are  of  the  utmost  conse- 
quence, as  on  the  state  of  these  his  value  in  a  great 
measure  depends.  He  should  not  only  have  a  good 
foot  for  the  present,  but  one  likely  to  stand  all  the 
beating,  battering,  pricking,  and  bruising,  to  which 
it  is  exposed  on  our  hard  and  newly  repaired  roads, 
at  almost  every  step.  Here  is  another  cause  of 
wonder,  that  we  have  not  more  lame  horses  than  we 
have,  particularly  as  most  lamenesses  are  produced 
by  concussion.  Nature, however,  has  wisely  ordained 
a  provision  to  guard  the  animal  creation  from  nu- 
merous injuries  to  which  it  would  otherwise  be 
liable;  and  so  she  haipin  the  present  instance.  The 
horse  bred  in  high  and  dry  situations,  in  which  the 
soil  is  of  a  hard,  stony,  or  rocky  description,  is 
framed  with  a  strong,  obdurate  hoof,  very  subject  to 
contraction.  This,  then,  is  the  foot  best  adapted  for 
the  purposes  of  the  road.  But  nature  intended  that 
these  animals  should  go  over  the  ground  in  their  own 
way,  and  that  when  they  found  one  pace  hurt  their 
feet,  they  should  be  at  liberty  to  change  it  for 
another ;  or  that  if  their  feet  became  bruised,  or 
over-heated,  they  should  find  no  impediment  in  quit- 
ting the  rugged  and  sharp  path  for  the  cool  and  velvet 
grass.  But  man  has  arbitrarily,  though  necessarily, 
reversed  the  benevolent  design  of  nature.  It  is, 
perhaps,  superfluous  to  inquire  how  road  horses  are 
now  generally  treated ;  but  in  an  essay  expressly 
written  on  the  subject,  nothing  growing  out  of  it  of 
interest  should  be  omitted.  In  the  first  place,  they 
are  shod  with  iron  shoes,  which  are  not  only  con- 
ductors, but  also  retainers,  of  heat.  Next,  instead 
of  allowing  them  to  choose  their  own  paces  on  each 
particular  piece  of  road,  those  paces  are  chosen  for 
them ;  and  not  only  so,  but  likewise  the  road  itself, 


24  THE  HOUbK. 

which,  pel  haps,  neither  man  nor  horse  would  have 
voluntarily  selected  with  reference  to  the  animal's 
feet. 

If,  however,  there  be  a  remedy  for  this,  cr  other 
evils,  relating  to  the  horse,  it  behooves  us  to  adopt  it, 
in  gratitude  for  the  many  services  rendered  to  us  by 
that  useful  animal.  We  ought  to  save  him,  not  only 
all  the  pain  we  can,  but  as  much  as  possible  of  in- 
convenience. This  we  have  the  means  of  doing  to 
a  considerable  extent  in  the  particular  case  before 
us,  and  the  mode  of  relief  is  pointed  out  by  the  horse 
itself,  when  in  a  state  of  nature.  Having  in  that 
state  travelled  over  hot  dry  ground  some  distance, 
he  will  stand  with  his  feet  for  a  short  period  in  the 
first  water  he  can  find  ;  he  will  then  remove  to  some 
plot  of  cool  grass,  on  which  li^  will  abide  until  all 
heat  (inflammation)  in  his  feet  has  evaporated.  Now, 
what  is  the  general  treatment  on  a  burning  day, 
when  the  animal  has  arrived  at  the  stable  door,  to 
which  his  feet  are  subjected  1  It  is  this.  They  are 
often  just  damped  over,  sometimes  merely  wiped, 
in  order  to  take  off  the  dirt,  with  a  wet  sponge,  and 
he  is  then  led  to  his  stall,  to  remain  there,  until  he  is 
again  wanted,  on  hot,  dry  litter.  Once  or  twice  a 
week  his  feet  are  stuffed  with  cow-dung  or  clay  ; 
the  litter  is  commonly  very  bad,  as  it  gets  dry  be- 
tween evening  and  morning,  and  it  then  hurts  the 
feet;  particularly  if  any  of  it,  however  small  the 
quantity,  be  allowed  to  remain  between  the  shoe 
and  the  sole  of  the  foot,  inasmuch  as  it  will  prevent 
firm  descent  of  the  sole,  and  is  sure  to  cause  lame- 
ness. Cow-dung  repeated  too  often  causes  thrushes  ; 
but  we  may  use  ad  libitum  that  which  the  horse  him- 
self has  pointed  out,  namely,  water,  which  can 
never  do  any  harm.  The  best  way  of  using  it  is  as 
follows  : — Get  a  piece  of  serge  about  eight  inches 
deep  and  twelve  long,  for  each  fore-foot ;  soak  the 
serge  well  in  water,  and  then  apply  it,  while  spread 


THE  HORSE.  %$ 

and  open,  tlie  long  way,  round  the  pastern  j  next 
pass  a  piece  of  list  loosely  round  the  middle  of  the 
serge  twice,  then  tie  it  and  roll  the  top  of  the  sergo 
over  the  list.  This  being  done  to  both  the  fore  feet, 
then  soak  each  foot,  bandage  and  all,  in  a  pail  of 
water,  wetting  them  the  last  thing  at  night  and  the 
first  in  the  morning ;  as  well  as  at  other  times,  when 
the  bandages  may  be  getting  too  dry,  or  on  occa- 
sions when  the  horse  may  remain  longer  in  the  sta- 
ble than  usual,  or  has  a  day's  rest.  This  practice 
will  never  be  found  injurious ;  and  should  there  be 
at  any  time  more  than  ordinary  inflammation  in  the 
feet,  and  if  it  be  not  convenient  to  give  the  animal  a 
day's  rest,  it  would  be  advisable  to  drive  him  with 
•  the  bandages  on,  and  be  sure  to  keep  them  wet. 
You  may  also  stop  his  feet  twice  or  thrice  a  week 
at  night  with  cow-dung :  but  always  see  that  it  is 
taken  out  quite  clean  in  the  morning. 

The  flat-footed  horse  is  bad  for  the  road.  Should 
you,  however,  possess  one,  the  treatment  of  his  feet 
should  be  the  reverse  of  that  just  described.  They 
should  be  kept  as  dry  as  possible,  in  order  to  which, 
see  that  they  are  dressed  all  over,  sole,  sides  and  all, 
about  twice  a  week,  or  oftener  if  necessary,  with  a 
mixture  composed  of  one  half  pitch,  the  other  half 
tar,  melted  over  a  fire,  and  applied  rather  warm. 
This  composition  greatly  promotes  the  growth  of 
horn,  and  as  flat  feet  are  too  thin  and  shelly,  the 
object  is  to  strengthen  the  soles.  It  is  also  better  to 
protect  these  thin  feet  by  a  leather  sole. 

TEMPER. 

Avoid  a  dull  horse  for  the  road.  There  cannot 
be  a  greater  annoyance  than  to  find  a  horse  rather 
inclined  to  stop  than  to  proceed ;  and  to  be  always 
applying  the  whip  to  the  sluggish  animal  is  not  only 
absolute  drudgery,  but  it  makes  him  daily  more  stub- 

3 


26  I'HE    HORSE. 

bom  and  indifferent  to  the  lash.  To  trot  horses  of 
this  description  is  almost  as  bad :  fractious  and 
fidgetty,  there  is  no  trusting  them,  and  they  are  often 
dangerous.  Vicious  horses  should  also  be  particu- 
larly avoided  for  the  road ;  a  kicker  may  damage 
your  vehicle,  and  detain  you  some  time  to  get  it  re- 
paired ;  to  say  nothing  of  your  own  personal  risk. 
As  a  precautionary  measure,  it  is  prudent  always  to 
use  a  kicking  strap,  even  with  horses  that  have 
hitherto  shown  no  disposition  to  kick.  Nor  can  per- 
sons who  are  obliged  to  go  occasionally  into  strange 
stables,  where  there  is  a  number  of  horses,  be  too 
cautious  in  guarding  themselves  from  the  effect  of 
vice  in  some  of  these  animals.  It  is  necessary  for 
travellers,  in  particular,  to  go  into  the  stable  to  look 
to  the  condition  of  their  own  horses,  and  without  due 
care  it  is  possible  they  may  receive  at  one  time  or 
other,  an  ugly  kick  or  bite,  from  some  horse  with 
•which  they  are  unacquainted.  Moreover,  ostlers 
virill  not  pay  the  same  attention  to  these  disagreeable 
brutes  as  to  others,  thereby  rendering  your  personal 
attention  the  more  requisite,  and  consequently  your 
chance  of  injury  the  greater.  The  dislike  and  neglect 
of  ostlers  to  these  animals  are  also  attended  with 
other  ill  effects,  for  without  proper  care  their  real 
capacity  for  usefulness  becomes  crippled;  and  be- 
sides, they  often  incur  the  hazard  of  being  lamed  in 
the  stall  by  blows  from  the  pitchfork.  iVfter  these 
observations,  not  many  persons,  it  is  presumed,  who 
may  peruse  them,  will,  for  the  sake  of  the  difference 
of  a  few  pounds  in  making  a  purchase,  choose  to 
encumber  themselves  knowingly  with  more  vices 
than  their  own.  It  remains,  then,  only  to  recom- 
mend any  unfortunate  purchaser  of  a  horse  of  this 
kind  to  part  with  him  at  any  sacrifice,  as  soon  as  he 
has  discovered  his  mistake ;  for  whatever  may  be 
the  loss,  the  saving  would  be  no  compensation  for  a 
broken  limb.    It  may  be  as  well  to  observe  here,  that 


THE    HORSE.  27 

travellers  usually  putting  up  at  the  same  inns,  should 
insist  upon  the  landlords  or  the  ostlers  placing  all 
vicious  animals  apart  from  other  horses,  or  at  least 
in  situations  to  prevent  them  doing  injury  to  any 
but  themselves,  and  especially  to  strangers  who  may 
have  occasion  to  go  into  the  stables.  Ostlers  fre- 
quently place  these  untractable  brutes  either  next 
the  door,  or  but  one  remove  from  it;  so  that  persons 
having  horses  in  the  same  stable  have  to  run  the 
gauntlet  of  the  former,  while  seeing  proper  atten- 
tion paid  to  their  own. 

ON    CARRIAGE. 

For  use,  never  buy  a  high-stepper.  It  is  erroneous 
to  imagine  that  safety  depends  on  this ;  so  much  so 
that  all  tumble-downs  and  stumbling  brutes  usually 
step  high ;  while  the  daisy-  cutter,  or  horse  that  would 
kick  a  sixpence  before  him,  rarely  falls.  Both  are 
evils  as  extremes,  and,  therefore,  as  in  other  cases, 
the  medium  is  the  best  rule.  The  horse  that  unne- 
cessarily lifts  his  feet  too  high  batters  them  in  tread- 
ing, producing  inflammation,  besides  fatiguing  and 
wearing  himself  out  by  overstraining  his  muscles. 
The  daisy-cutter  is  liable  to  a  degree  of  inflamma- 
tion about  the  feet,  causing  him  to  go  lower  than  he 
would  naturally,  in  order  to  lessen  the  concussion 
of  his  feet  with  the  ground  and  prevent  the  pain  of 
lifting  his  legs.  With  sound  horses,  a  practised  judge 
would  in  time  make  them  step  as  high  as  he  pleased ; 
but  all  this  lofty  action  is  at  the  best  but  artificial, 
and  only  tends  to  tire  and  jade  the  animal.  Lord 
Ongley's  celebrated  horse,  Coventry,  was  sold  on 
account  of  this  high  action,  for  three  hundred  guineas. 
But  what  would  he  have  been  worth  to  a  commer- 
cial man,  when  it  is  well  known,  that  if  driven  from 
the  west  end  of  London  to  Hampton  Court,  he  was 
so  exhausted,  that  he  required  some  days'  rest  before 


28  THE    HORSE. 

he  could  be  even  led  back  to  town  ]  The  parade 
horse  again  can  merely  continue  his  artificial  or  high 
action  for  about  ten  minutes  at  a  time,  and  this 
repeated  three  or  four  times,  is  a  hard  day's  work. 
These  remarks  will  also  serve  to  show,  as  in  our  obser- 
vations on  the  pace  of  the  horse,  that  only  a  certain 
degree  of  exertion  can  be  used  with  impunity;  or 
the  capability  of  repeating  such  muscular  efforts  at 
short  intervals  would  be  impossible,  without  serious 
injury.  Nor  can  what  has  been  already  said,  in  a 
preceding  page,  be  too  often  or  too  earnestly  im- 
pressed on  all  persons  entrusted  with  the  care  of 
horses,  who  appreciate  their  usefulness,  or  who 
would  preserve  their  value.  Leave  the  action  of 
the  horse  to  himself,  or,  in  other  words,  to  nature. 
Lord  Pembroke,  in  his  admirable  work  on  Horse- 
manship, says,  "  When  you  are  going  a  journey, 
care  not  how  the  horse  carries  himself,  so  that 
he  does  but  carry  you ;"  and  this  he  addresses  to 
horsemen,  adding,  "  When  they  have  time  to  play 
with  their  horses,  is  the  time  to  attend  to  the  animal's 
carriage."  How  much  more  necessary,  therefore, 
is  it  that  men  of  business  should  bear  this  advice  in 
mind  ;  for  it  cannot  be  expected  that  they  should 
have  the  same  knowledge  of  horses  as  men  who 
have  been  almost  cradled  in  the  stable,  have  made 
the  subject  their  constant  study,  and  have  had 
abundant  opportunities  to  acquire  experience. 

FOOD. 

It  will  be  found  more  economical  in  the  way  of 
food  to  use  old  horses,  in  preference  to  young  ones. 
The  horse  is  not  properly  set  and  framed  until  he  is 
eight  years  of  age.  He,  therefore,  before  that  age, 
requires  support,  not  only  for  his  daily  wear  and 
tear,  but  also  for  his  gi'owth.  Neither  do  all  horses 
require,  as  is  too  generally  supposed,  feeding  alike^ 


THE    HORSE.  29 

One  description,  or  make  of  horse,  would  almost 
fatten  where  another  would  starve.  A  small  horse 
does  not  require  so  much  food  as  a  larger  one,  though 
it  is  often  a  subject  of  surprise  that  one  horse  is  not 
so  fat  as  another,  when  both  have  the  same  allow- 
ance of  corn.  Much  also  depends  upon  manage- 
ment in  this  respect,  as  when  beans  should  be  com- 
menced and  when  left  off.  To  lay  down  rules,  how- 
ever, upon  a  subject  of  this  nature,  from  which  there 
should  be  no  deviation,  is  utterly  impossible;  but  as 
general  ones,  an  observance  of  the  following  will  be 
found  of  c;reat  advantaofe.  Disreo^ard  the  time  of 
year,  whenever  you  go  a  few  miles  further  on  your 
day's  journey  than  usual,  as  in  that  case  a  few  beans 
would  be  very  acceptable  and  of  great  service  to 
your  horse.  These  are  to  be  added  to  his  full  allow- 
ance of  corn,  and  not  a  single  grain  be  allowed  to  be 
subtracted  therefrom  to  make  way  for  the  beans. 
Should  he  have  been  exposed  to  more  cold  than 
usual  from  standing  about  in  a  bleak,  sharp  wind, 
or  been  out  in  the  wet,  he  will  be  grateful  for  some 
beans,  although  this  should  happen  in  the  midst  of 
summer.  Beans  should  never  be  omitted  while 
changing  his  coat  during  spring  and  autumn,  or 
should  he  have  to  stand  in  a  colder  stable  than  usual 
during  the  night.  Indeed,  all  through  the  winter,  as 
may  be  gathered  from  the  above,  beans  are  useful ; 
but  in  the  winter,  when  a  horse  has  been  exposed  to 
extra  cold  wind  or  rain,  the  usual  allowance  should 
be  doubled. 

OATS. 

A  WORKING  horse  should  never  have  less  than  four 
quarterns,  or  one  peck  of  oats,  a  day,  but  more  ac- 
cording to  size  and  circumstances.  Some  horses,  if 
in  poor  condition,  will  eat  a  peck  and  half  of  oats 
and  half  a  peck  of  beans  per  day,  with  benefit  to 
them.     In  feeding  them  well,  (giving  them  plenty  of 


$0  THE    HORSE. 

corn,)  there  is  this  advantage,  they  eat  the  less  hay, 
consequently,  they  have  soon  finished  their  supper 
and  get  to  rest ;  while  the  next  morning  they  are  in 
better  courage  and  all  the  fitter  for  their  work.  Never 
be  induced  to  stint  a  horse  of  his  corn  on  account 
of  any  violence  or  fretfulness  of  his  temper ;  give 
him  his  full  quantity,  and  it  will  be  found  to  act  upon 
him  as  a  sedative ;  and  as  he  gains  fat,  he  will  become 
proportionably  quiet  and  self-satisfied.  But  on  the 
dull  horse  food  has  a  contrary  effect,  and  stablemen 
say,  when  they  see  an  animal  of  this  sort,  sleek,  fat 
and  lively,  that  the  corn  pricks  him.  Let  it  not  be 
imagined,  however,  that  these  effects  are  produced 
by  one  or  two  days'  feeding.  Such  desirable  changes 
can  be  wrought  only  by  a  continuance  of  good  man- 
agement for  some  time.  Neither  let  it  be  supposed 
that  a  poor  horse  will  not  get  fat.  Feed  him  well, 
indulge  him  by  walking  up  hill,  and  always  pulling 
up  to  a  walk  when  he  begins  to  get  warm  on  the 
neck,  and  in  six  weeks  he  will  not  appear  like  the 
same  animal.  The  same  remark  applies  also  to  the 
fretful  horse,  with  this  difference,  that  it  is  necessary 
to  exercise  more  patience  to  get  him  to  walk  at  first, 
and  to  abstain  from  applying  to  him  the  whip  on  any 
occasion,  until  he  feels  himself  comfortable,  which 
also  may  be  in  about  six  weeks.  To  tell  a  practised 
horseman  not  to  use  the  whip  to  a  fretful  horse 
would  be  a  needless  caution,  but  to  others,  particu- 
larly beginners,  it  is  not  so ;  as  there  are  many  who 
would  almost  as  soon  be  without  a  horse  at  all,  as  be 
restricted  to  using  the  whip  only  as  often  as  neces- 
sary. The  notions  of  such  persons  consist  in  the 
pleasure  of  using  the  flogger,  flanking  and  cracking 
away,  in  grand  style ;  not  that  they  would  be  pleased 
with  an  animal  constantly  requiring  the  lash ;  but 
they  wish  to  show  off,  perhaps  to  astonish  a  customer, 
or  to  excite  a  gape  from  a  few  idlers  at  an  inn  door, 
little  reflecting  that  they  generally  leave  behind  them 


THE    HORSE.  91 

an  impression  the  rererse  of  that  intended  to  be 
produced. 

MASHES. 

These  are  admirable  for  horses  at  all  periods  of 
the  year,  but  then  they  should  not  be  given  in  the 
parsimonious  way  they  usually  are,  doing  neither 
good  nor  harm.  For  what  purpose  are  they  in« 
tended  ?  Why,  just  to  open  the  bowels  and  gently 
cool  the  body ;  so  as  to  preclude  the  necessity  of 
having  recourse  to  more  violent  medicines,  the  ap- 
plication of  which  would  deprive  the  owner  of  the 
horse  for  some  days  of  its  services.  Such  would  be 
the  substance  of  the  answer  given  to  the  above 
question.  There  are,  however,  other  and  perhaps 
better  reasons  to  be  assigned  in  favour  of  the  appli- 
cation of  mashes — they  are  important  as  preventing 
inflammation  in  the  feet.  Nature  intended  the 
horse  to  feed  on  succulent  food,  and  stand  or  move 
on  the  cool  ground.  It  may  be  observed  that  when 
left  to  himself  he  retires  during  the  heat  of  the  day 
into  the  shade ;  preferring  the  time  to  feed  when 
the  ground  is  cold  and  wet  with  dew,  and  he  takes 
his  exercise  at  his  pleasure.  But  for  the  use  of  man, 
he  is  taken  from  the  open  fields  into  the  close  stable, 
his  feet  are  placed  upon  a  warm  litter,  and  he  is 
fed  upon  hot  inflammatory  food.  This  is  reversing 
the  design  of  nature,  but  is  necessary  to  enable  the 
horse  to  perform  the  work  to  which  he  is  destined. 
Yet  if  we  reflect  that  he  is  taken  out  of  the  stable, 
and  forced  to  go  at  a  considerable  pace,  not  for  any 
length  of  time  agreeable  to  himself,  but  so  long  as 
it  may  suit  our  pleasure  or  business,  is  it  not  as- 
tonishing that  so  much  violence  done  to  nature  is 
not  resented  more  fearfully  than  it  is  1  But  the 
present  artificial  modes  of  treating  the  horse  are  not 
altogether  unproductive  of  such  consequences  as 
might    be     anticipated.     Fevers,    though   perhaps 


J2  th:;   housk. 

slight,  will  ensue,  and  settle. in  tlie  most  vulnerable 
or  most  exercised  parts  of  the  animal's  frame — prin- 
cipally in  the  fore  feet.  The  best  means  of  pre- 
venting or  counteracting  this  ill  effect,  is  by  giving 
the  horse  (if  on  a  journey)  every  Saturday  night, 
half  a  bucket  at  least  of  bran  mixed  with  cold  water  : 
nor,  because  a  change  is  made  for  the  bran,  let  that 
be  any  excuse  for  abridging  his  proper  allowance 
of  corn.  The  better  plan  is  to  mix  the  bran  and 
corn  tog-ether,  makinor  of  the  whole  a  thick  wash, 
and  not  as  usual  damp  the  bran  only.  Attention  to 
this  recommendation  v/ill  improve  the  horse,  with- 
out injuring  his  appetite,  as  tvarm  Tnashes  are  apt 
to  do. 

GRUEL  AND  CODLING. 

This  is  a  mess  i-urely  I'equired  by  the  roadster, 
although  some  who  would  wish  to  appear  more 
knowing  than  their  fellows,  give  it  to  their  horses 
without  the  least  occasion.  They  have  probably 
heard  that  it  is  sometimes  given  to  hunters  after  a 
very  hard  run,  and  to  trotters  while  performing  a 
match,  and  they  conclude  that  what  may  be  g'ood  for 
one  time  must  be  good  at  another,  by  the  same  rule, 
that  what  is  sauce  for  the  goose  is  sauce  for  the 
gander.  But  it  is  not  so  in  the  present  case.  After 
a  hard  day's  run,  it  is  frequently  necessary  to  bleed 
the  hunter  the  moment  the  run  is  over,  to  prevent 
his  death.  But  who  would  think  of  bleeding  a  road- 
ster after  a  moderate  day's  journey,  because  hunters 
are  occasionally  obliged  to  undergo  that  operation 
after  excessive  toil  ]  The  reason  for  srivinsf  hunters 
gruel  after  very  hard  runs  is  the  great  prosti^ation  of 
their  strength  at  the  time.  Their  extreme  ex- 
haustion renders  it  necessary  to  supply  them  wdth 
nutriment  in  a  condensed  form  to  enable  them  to 
swallow  it,  and  being  thirsty  from  the  fever  about 
them,  this  is  the  most  convenient  mode  of  admini* 


THE  HORSE.  33 

tering  a  restorative.  The  hunter  in  this  case  is  ex- 
actly in  the  situation  of  a  horse  just  getting  conva- 
lescent after  severe  sickness,  but  too  w^eak  to  eat 
his  customary  food  until  he  has  been  strengthened 
Dy  tonics.  Is  it  not,  then,  absurd  to  treat  a  horse  in 
perfect  health,  nor  exhausted  by  extreme  fatigue,  in 
a  similar  manner, — that  is,  to  coddle  him,  for  so  such 
treatment  under  such  circumstances  is  properly 
called  1  He  w^ill  eat  w^ell  enough  if  he  has  plenty 
of  w^ater  to  drink.  But  if  he  should  be  very  warm, 
and  loath  to  eat,  give  him  a  reasonable  quantity,  say 
six  quarts,  of  chilled  icater,  and  then  try  w^hether  he 
will  eat  some  corn  well  ivetted. 

Persons  who  resort  to  this  messing  or  codling 
have,  of  course,  a  pretext  for  it,  which  pretext 
usually  is  that  they  have  driven  too  hard.  When 
this  is  really  the  fact,  the  better  way  is  to  give  the 
horse  an  extra  allowance  of  corn  :  he  will  eat  it. 
It  is  the  extreme  pa-ce  which  does  the  mischief  with 
the  hunter;  but  when  commercial  men  distress  their 
horses  from  the  same  cause,  they  ought  never  to  be 
trusted  with  another.  If  horses  are  properly  used, 
and  yet  are  off  their  feed,  it  is  not  for  want  of  gruel, 
and  the  sooner  a  veterinary  surgeon  is  called  in  the 
better.  The  trotter  has  gruel  given  to  him  during 
his  performance,  because  there  is  no  time  to  feed 
him  otherwise,  or  to  prevent  him  being  overcome 
by  excessive  fatigue.  Both  the  hunter  and  trotter 
are  given  gruel  on  the  same  principle  as  a  man  in 
nver-taxing  his  physical  powers  for  a  wager  would 
need  brandy  as  a  stimulus.  The  reader  may  rest 
assured,  and  we  repeat  it,  that  the  roadster  is  rarely 
in  want  of  gruel. 

The  mare  previously  mentioned  as  having  per- 
formed eighty  miles  for  two  successive  days  and 
one  hundred  miles  in  one  day,  when  between  thirty 
and  forty  years  old,  never  had  gruel.  Many  similar 
instances  might  be  mentioned,  but  in  these  caaea 


34  THE    HORSE. 

the  horses  were  under  the  management  of  persons 
skilled  in  the  nature  and  training  of  this  valuable 
animal,  and  being  baited  at  proper  intervals,  were 
not  over-done,  while  their  appetites  remained  good. 
It  may  be  taken  as  a  general  fact,  that  where  gruel 
is  required  on  the  road,  the  horse  has  been  cruelly 
abused  through  ignorance  or  carelessness,  or  pure 
wilfulness  ;  and  that  the  man  who  gives  such  messes 
unrequired  is  quite  a  novice  in  the  treatment  of 
horses ;  as  it  destroys  the  natural  tone  of  their 
stomachs  (by  weakening  the  digestive  powers,) 
causes  them  to  lose  their  appetites  on  the  least  exer- 
tion, and  making  them  incumbrances  to  themselves 
as  well  as  burthens  to  their  masters. 

Boiled  oats  given  to  horses  is  only  another  mode 
of  gruelling,  and,  therefore,  comes  under  the  same 
strictures.  Those  who  require  more  evidence  on 
this  subject,  may  ask  themselves  whether  exercise 
does  not  assist  digestion,  and  whether  men  who 
labour  hardest  do  not  need  that  food  which  is  hardest 
of  digestion  for  their  sustenance.  It  is  upon  this 
principle  that  prudent  masters  of  horses  give  them 
beans  upon  extra  work  and  extraordinary  occasions. 
No  one  can  deny  that  gruel  and  boiled  oats  are  both 
easier  of  digestion  than  raw  corn,  and,  therefore,  are 
only  suitable  for  weakened  and  disordered  stomachs. 
Then  why  give  messes  when  the  appetite  is  good, 
and  capable  of  digesting  the  best  food  ]  The  race- 
horse never  has  gruel  but  in  case  of  sickness.  To 
bring  him  in  proper  condition  to  the  post,  the  most 
solid  food  is  necessary.  Beans,  and  with  these  and 
oats  he  is  liberally  supplied. 

WATER. 

More  error  prevails  respecting  the  quantity  of 
water,  and  the  proper  times  of  giving  it  to  horses, 
than   perhaps    on   any  other   part  of  oir  subject. 


THE  HORSE.  35 

Nature  never  errs,  yet  are  ostlers  determined  to  act 
in  direct  hostility  to  her  dictates.  One  quantity  of 
water,  and  one  only,  is  almost  invariably  doled  out, 
without  the  least  reference  to  the  actual  staXe  or  wants 
of  the  animal.  No  matter  what  he  may  really  re- 
quire, what  exercise  he  may  have  undergone,  or  how 
far  the  animal  fluids  may  have  been  expended, 
they  have  but  one  rule  under  all  circumstances. 
By  a  sort  of  reasoning  peculiar  to  themselves,  they 
have  been  brought^to  believe  that  the  faster  a  horse 
has  been  driven,  and  the  greater  the  distance,  so,  in 
proportion,  he  ought  to  be  stinted  of  this  indispensa- 
ble element — water.  Nor  does  the  length  of  time 
which  the  horse  may  have  been  deprived  of  liquid 
sustenance  at  all  enter  into  the  stableman's  calcula- 
tions. If  the  animal  may  chance  to  have  gone 
without  his  usual  supply  at  the  regular  hour,  the  ostler 
will  never  allow  him  to  make  up  for  his  involuntary 
abstinence.  It  might  be  thought  that  gentlemen  not 
themselves  averse  to  some  refreshing  beverage, 
would  bestow  more  thought  in  this  respect  upon 
their  four-footed  companions ;  but  whether  they  are 
conscious,  from  experience,  that  over-drinking  is 
injurious  to  the  health  and  constitution,  or  from  a 
rooted  aversion  to  pure  water  passing  down  their 
own  throats,  and  so  apply  the  same  reasoning  to 
their  poor  beast,  is  a  question  hardly  worth  the 
inquiry.  ^  One  thing,  however,  they  should  not 
forget,  viz.  that  quadrupeds  have  not  the  same 
incitements,  or  inclination,  to  go  to  excess,  as  bipeds 
have.  The  former  only  drink  as  nature  requires, 
the  latter  yield  to  the  temptation,  both  from  desire 
and  habit,  on  every  fi'ivolous  pretence,  until  the  re- 
sult is,  in  numberless  instances,  the  most  disgusting 
debauchery.  The  horse  requires  water  for  the  fol- 
lowing purposes  :  to  quench  his  thirst;  to  assist  diges- 
tion ;  to  dilute  the  blood  and  fluids,  and  to  promote 
the  natural  secretions.     By  depnving  him,  therefore. 


36  THE  HORSK. 

of  a  sufficient  quai  tity  of  this  vital  article,  we  are 
impeding  the  necessary  operations  of  nature ;  and 
this  is  the  secret  cause  of  much  of  the  unsoundness 
in  horses.  For,  as  we  have  already  said  in  a  former 
part,  nature  will  not  permit  her  laws  to  be  seriously 
violated,  without  exhibiting  some  resentment.  A 
slow  fever  is  one  consequence  of  this  painful  depri- 
vation, and  which  settles  in  the  feet  or  eyes,  but  most 
commonly  the  feet,  for  reasons  before  assigned. 
May  not  glanders  also  be  traced  to  the  same  cause  1 
For  slow  fever  not  being  allowed  to  subside  for  want 
of  water,  leads  to  inflammation  of  the  mucous  lining 
of  the  nose.  At  all  events,  no  more  satisfactory 
reason  has  yet  been  given  for  the  origin  of  this 
disease.  But  without  these  after  consequences,  is 
it  not  singular  that  men  should  persist  in  inflicting 
so  barbarous  a  punishment  upon  animals  incapable 
of  expressing  their  wants  ?  To  be  ever  thirsty,  yel 
never  permitted  to  quench  that  thirst,  is  the  height 
of  cruelty.  Nabobs  of  the  East  have  asserted  that 
one  of  the  greatest  luxuries  in  that  climate  consists 
in  being  ever  drinking,  ever  dry.  Let  them  turn 
ostlers.  In  this  country,  stablemen  seem  to  enjoy 
that  luxury  in  a  superlative  degree.  To  quit,  how- 
ever, this  little  digression,  how  comparatively  happy 
is  the  poor  horse,  not  employed  upon  the  road,  but  in 
some  other,  perhaps  severer  daily  toil,  y-et,  when  let 
loose,  may  unrestrained  slake  his  thirst  by  a  refi-esh- 
ing  draught  at  the  first  pond  or  trough  he  may  reach. 
Horses  feeding  upon  grass,  and  without  perform- 
ing any  work,  always  slake  their  thirst  at  a  pond 
three  times  a  day;  and  on  each  occasion  drink  not 
less  than  one  pail  each.  This,  too,  be  it  remembered, 
is  when  they  are  living  upon  succulent  food.  By  a 
parity  of  reasoning,  it  must  be  obvious,  that  they 
would  require  more  water  upon  dry  food.  Why  then 
give  them  less  ?  Stablemen  water  their  horses  three 
times  a  day,  morning,  noon  and  night,  or  according 


THE    HORSE.  37 

to  theii'  whim  or  laziness.  A  pail  is  allowed  for 
each,  but  these  buckets  vary  in  size,  containing  from 
four  to  eight  quarts ;  yet  a  pail  is  a  pail,  whether  it 
be  larger  or  smaller ;  to  that  quantity  is  the  animal 
restricted  each  time.  These  men  may  well  be  called 
hydrophobiacs. 

To  move  unusually  fast,  with  a  gieat  quantity  of 
water  in  the  horse's  stomach,  is  bad.  But  give  him 
as  much  as  he  will  drink,  yet  he  will  not  be  over- 
charged with  the  fluid.  The  plan  adopted  in  racing 
stables  is  to  give  the  horses  water  so  frequently,  that 
they  will  drink  no  more  than  six  quarts  at  a  time ; 
but  what  would  be  still  better,  where  practicable, 
would  be  to  keep  a  pail  of  water  standing  by  the 
horse,  so  that  he  might  drink  whenever  he  chose. 
A  horse  not  put  to  the  extent  of  his  speed,  can  never 
be  inconvenienced  by  being  allowed  the  same  quan- 
tity of  water  as  the  racer.  Neither  need  any  appre- 
hension be  entertained  of  impairing  the  condition 
of  a  roadster  for  work,  when  it  is  remembered  that  the 
racer  is  required  to  be  in  harder  and  firmer,  there- 
fore better,  condition,  than  any  to  which  it  is  possi- 
ble to  bring  the  former.  When  a  horse  is  very 
warm,  and  has  to  stand  in  that  state,  if  the  water 
be  pump  or  well  water,  it  would  be  better  chilled, 
but  not  warmed.  Although,  however,  chilled  water 
may  be  recommended  occasionally,  it  should  only 
be  given  when  positively  necessary.  Warm  water 
should  never  be  given  but  to  sick  horses.  Should  a 
horse  have  drank  water  not  agreeing  with  him,  which 
will  be  soon  seen,  by  his  shivering  and  setting  up 
his  coat,  and  sometimes  by  being  a  little  griped,  the 
ostler  should  be  made  to  put  a  piece  of  ginger  under 
the  tail.  This  is  called  figging,  and  will  remove  the 
evil  almost  immediately. 

It  may  not  be  here  misplaced,  if  we  venture  an 
allusion  to  a  work  published  some  time  since  on  the 
present  subject.    The  author  of  that  work  has  made 

4 


4»8  THE    HORSE. 

some  severe  remarks  upon  this  operation,  and  al- 
though most  of  his  rubbish  will  soon  die  and  be  for- 
gotten, yet  as  he  wrote  at  a  period  when  few  others 
had  published  anything  on  the  subject,  his  presump- 
tion was  mistaken  for  knowledge ;  and  as  some  of 
the  readers  of  this  work  may  have  seen  his  strictures 
upon  "  Fundamental  Firing,"  as  he  calls  figging,  a 
few  observations  may  be  requisite  to  remove  a  pre- 
judice occasioned  by  so  erroneous  a  plu-ase.  The 
pain  of  this  operation  is  soon  over,  and  it  is  a  query 
whether  it  is  as  bad  at  any  time  as  that  of  the  gripes, 
or  cholic,  or  a  cold.  People  would  always  prefer  a 
smaller  to  a  greater  evil.  Figging,  then,  in  order  to 
prevent  or  remove  one  of  these  complaints,  is  any- 
thing but  the  barbarity  the  writer  alluded  to  describes 
it  to  be ;  and  as  it  may  obviate  both,  the  objections 
to  it  are  still  fewer.  Moreover,  there  is  no  danger 
in  the  operation;  in  the  gripes  there  is  a  great  deal; 
besides,  under  the  shivers  may  be  lurking  inflamed 
lungs.  Very  hard  water  generally  occasions  these 
symptoms.  As  by  exposing  it,  however,  to  the  sun 
for  a  few  hours  before  using  it  would  prevent  sudi 
unpleasant  effects,  the  ostler  should  not  be  given  his 
fee  if  he  omitted  this  little  attention.  Where  figging 
does  not  produce  the  desired  l)enefit,  a  ginger-ball 
should  also  be  administered.  Should  a  shivering 
seize  the  horse  after  exposure  to  rain,  figging  and  a 
ginger-ball  will  be  found  of  the  greatest  service, 
frequently  preventing  serious  after  illness. 

While  treating  of  this  subject,  it  may  be  as  well 
to  follow  it  up  with  a  few  other  observations.  Ostlers 
and  stable-keepers,  who  generally  farm  or  rent  the 
stables  from  the  innkeeper,  often  stint  the  horses  of 
their  food,  upon  the  pretext  that  they  cannot  eat  so 
much  when  they  are  thirsty  and  feverish,  as  they 
would  if  they  were  perfectly  cool  and  tranquil.  These 
Btable-people  know  that  the  owners  of  horses  are  most  • 
ly  satisfied,  if  they  see  hay  placad  before  their  steeds 


THE  HORSE.  39 

uneaten ;  but  not  only  will  horses,  if  duly  supplied  with 
water,  consume  the  small  quantity  of  hay  allowed 
them,  but  also  a  good  proportion  of  their  bedding. 
Some  persons  may  object  to  giving  their  horses  an 
unlimited  quantity  of  water,  from  a  notion  that  it  may 
cause  too  much  purging.  This  idea,  however,  is  not 
founded  in  reason,  because  when  the  horse  is  abridged 
of  his  due  allowance  of  corn,  he  is  apt  to  drink  too 
eagerly  and  too  largely,  if  he  have  the  oj^portunity  and 
there  be  no  check  imposed  upon  him  ;  but  if  he  be 
brought  to  a  full  allowance  by  degrees,water  will  have 
no  injurious  effect  upon  the  bowels.  Begin  by  giving 
him  as  much  as  he  likes  on  a  Saturday  night ;  then 
tie  a  pailful  in  the  corner  all  Sunday,  until  you  start 
again  on  Monday  morning  (this  is  under  the  suppo- 
sition of  your  being  a  commercial  traveller;)  and 
always  after  giving  him  water,  to  observe  the  direc 
tions  already  recommended.  The  advantages  de 
rived  therefrom  will  be  soon  experienced.  Heed 
not  the  opposition  of  ostlers  and  others,  but  look 
yourself  to  your  orders  being  properly  obeyed.  You 
will  then  be  amply  compensated  for  your  trouble, 
by  your  horse  being  better  able  to  go  through  with 
his  work,  and  by  his  lasting  longer  than  he  could 
possibly  do  under  the  starving  system.  The  prin- 
cipal theories  entertained  by  thousands  upon  this 
question  are  pure  absurdities.  Nature  is  not  guilty 
of  creating  false  appetites,  when  animals  are  in  £ 
state  of  health  ;  yet  is  she  frequently  accused  by  the 
ignorant  of  this  preposterous  en-or.  Stablemen  arc 
not  so  niuch  to  be  blamed  on  this  account,  as  tht 
owners  of  horses ;  the  former  not  having  meanB  oi 
knowing  better  equally  with  the  latter :  and  being  tb? 
mere  slaves  of  custom  and  prejudice.  In  their  dietary 
plan,  they  are  clamorous  and  bigoted  enemies  H 
all  innovations.  If  owners  of  horses  were  but  tru-^ 
to  themselves,  and  charitable  to  their  beasts,  the  pra«> 
tice  of  druggfing,  or  of  giving  them  water  of  tho  mo?< 


40  THE    HORSE. 

filthy  condition,  would  speedily  cease.  One  would 
almost  imagine  at  times,  that  ostlers  were  of  opinion 
that  water  cannot  be  too  dirty,  and  that  it  is  so  much 
the  better  if  harness  has  been  washed  in  it,  or  if  it 
has  been  mixed  with  dust,  rancid  oil,  or  blacking. 
With  some  grooms,  nay,  even  owners,  soapy  water, 
in  which  the  legs  of  other  horses  have  been  washed, 
is  not  considered  unwholesome.  Now,  the  fact  is, 
the  horse  is  quite  an  epicure  in  his  water ;  he  will 
undergo  the  utmost  deprivation  before  he  will  drink 
anything  uncleanly  ;  but,  as  drink  he  must,  if  he 
cannot  obtain  the  pure  element,  he  gradually  be- 
comes inured  to  any  nauseous  mixture  that  may  be 
placed  before  him.  He  would  be  too  happy  in  his 
servitude,  if  he  could  even  get  enough  to  satisfy  his 
thirst  of  the  abominable  liquids  with  which  ostlers 
are  too  much  in  the  habit  of  supplying  him ;  but, 
no;  the  stable-keepers,  fancying  to  show  off  their 
own  superior  acquirements,  deny  him  this  miserable 
gratification. 

It  would  be  superfluous  to  show  the  various  ways 
in  which  dirty  water  must  be  injurious  to  the  and- 
mal's  health ;  but  there  is  one  absurdity  so  glaring, 
and  which  is  so  clearly  illustrative  of  the  bad  con- 
sequences arising  from  stinting  the  horse  of  this  in- 
dispensable beverage,  that  it  must  suffice  without 
going  more  into  detail.  Why  is  nitre  given  in  the 
horse's  water]  "  Because,"  you  reply,  "I  observe 
my  horse  to  be  feverish,  and  I,  therefore,  give  him 
the  nitre  to  prevent  his  drinking  too  much,  and  for 
the  purpose  of  removing  the  fever."  How  do  you 
expect  the  nitre  to  operate  1  "  By  increasing  the 
secretion  of  the  kidneys,  thus  lessening  the  quantity 
of  blood."  This  is  the  meaning  of  what  an  inquirer 
would  be  told  by  stablemen  and  those  who  put  faith 
in  such  authorities.  The  extreme  folly  of  this  sort 
of  reasoning  may  be  plainly  exemplified.  In  a  full 
state  of  health,  the  veins  and  arteries  must  always 


Tilt:   HOUSE.  41 

have  a  certain  distention,  or,  in  other  words,  the  fluids 
and  sohds  must  bear  a  relative  proportion  to  one 
another.  Nitre  diminishes  fluid,  and  in  what  way  is 
it  proposed  to  recruit  this  expenditure  of  the  animal 
juices  ]  Does  not  the  increased  thirst  of  the  horse 
indicate  as  plainly  as  nature  possibly  can,  the  cure 
of  fever  ?  Crive  the  ^liraal  as  much  water  as  he  will 
drink,  when  he  lias  fever  upon  him  :  it  is  better  than 
nitre ;  the  fluids  v/ill  become  thinner  and  the  end 
desired  answered.  But  will  it  act  upon  the  bowels 
and  purge  the  horse  1  Yes,  and  upon  the  kidneys 
also,  and  will  most  likely  carry  away  all  traces  of 
fever.  Good,  but  purging  weakens  the  horse.  This 
is  a  mistake.  While  there  is  fever  the  horse  must 
be  weak;  remove  the  fever,  and  he  becomes  again 
strong ;  or  to  be  more  explicit,  any  deviation  in  the 
pulse  from  the  natural  standard  must  cause  weak- 
ness; restore  the  pulse  to  the  natural  standard,  and 
the  horse,  or  the  man,  no  matter  which,  will  become 
well.  The  water,  therefore,  in  the  sense  in  which 
we  are  speaking,  acts  particularly  as  a  tonic,  reco- 
vering the  strength  of  the  horse,  by  reducing  his 
pulse  to  its  proper  state.  Water,  regarded  in  any 
respect,  is  a  tonic.  Let  a  bountiful  supply  of  it 
consequently  not  be  deemed  adverse  to  the  health 
or  constitution  of  the  horse.  It  completely  drives 
away  fever,  not  allowing  this  insidious  disease  to 
work  about  the  frame  until  it  permanently  settles 
in  the  feet  or  attacks  the  lungs.  Neither  with  a  due 
supply  of  water  need  a  horse  be  sent  to  grass  to 
prevent  his  hecommg  groggjj.  Give  him  plenty  of 
this  element,  and  not  over-drive  him,  with  ordinary 
care  in  other  respects,  and  he  will  be  almost  certain 
to  preserve  his  feet  and  body  cool,  his  coat  good, 
and  his  eyes  perfect ;  in  short,  he  will  be  sound  and 
healthy. 


42  THB    HORSE. 


STUMBLING. 


When  tliis  is  not  the  consequence  of  malformation 
of  the  horse,  it  is  to  be  prevented ;  and  even  if  the 
make  of  the  animal  be  such  that  he  cannot  avoid 
falling  vv^hen  he  is  leg-wearied,  it  is  to  be  relieved, 
and  leg-weariness  eased,  by,  attention  to  the  prece- 
ding observations  on  food,  mashes  and  water.     The 
strength  and  courage  of  a  horse  are  sustained  by  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  nutritive  food.      Mashes  serve 
to  keep  off  that  low  fever,  which,  if  not  prevented, 
ultimately  ruins  him.      But  water  has  more  than  all 
to  do  with  the  prevention  of  fever,  by  assisting  the 
proper  digestion  of  the  food.     What  pain  and  fever 
will  not  indigestion  produce !     Yet  the  horse  is  de- 
nied the  proper  use  of  the  important  functions  of  the 
stomach,  by  being  stinted  of  his  cheapest  aliment, 
water.     At  the  hazard  of  a  little  repetition,  it  must 
be  repeated,  that  water  dilutes  the  blood  and  fluids, 
and   by  promoting  the  natural    secretions,  is  most 
important  in  preventing  fever.    No  horse  will  become 
painfully  costive,  if  due  attention  be  paid  to  him  in 
this  particular ;  and  here  again,  every  one  must  be 
sensible  that  the  regularity  of  the  bowels  is  essential 
to  the  preservation  of  health.    Now,  horses  subjected 
to  good  treatment  in  the  way  prescribed,  will  be 
infinitely  less  liable  to  that  slow  fever  which  is  the 
sure  precursor  of  inflammation  of  the  feet.    But  this 
disease  once  generated,  the  poor  horse  is  obliged 
to  step  short  and  on  his  toes,  as  well  as  often  to  drop 
from  sheer  pain  at  every  stone  he  steps  upon;  when, 
if  he  happen  to  be  leg- weary  at  the  same  time,  from 
long  toil,,  down  he  goes,  to  the  great  annoyance  and 
mortification  of  his  owner. 

When  a  horse  is  first  observed  to  stumble,  stop- 
ping and  serge  round  the  feet  (as  described  at  page 
20)  should  be  tried.    Give  him  a  short  allowance  of 


THE    HORSE.  43 

water  at  night,  and  as  much  as  he  will  drink  just 
before  starting  in  the  morning.  The  adoption  of 
this  plan  will  answer  the  purpose  of  a  dose  of  physic, 
and  will  probably  prevent  inconvenient  stoppages 
on  the  road,  for  the  express  purpose  of  giving  him 
medicine.  Should  this,  however,  not  answer  the  end 
desired,  the  feet  should,  at  the  same  time,  be  bathed 
in  warm  water,  and  wet  woollen  bandages  applied 
to  them  immediately.  Leather  soles  put  on  for  one 
shoeing,  will  also  be  of  service.  If  leg-weariness 
be  the  cause,  and  the  directions  given  in  this  work 
should  fail,  physic  to  relieve  the  inflamed  muscles 
and  over-wrought  tendons,  or  turning  out  to  grass, 
are  the  only  remedies.  But  when  a  horse  is  phy- 
sicked in  order  to  make  him  fresh  for  work,  his 
losing  of  flesh  must  not  be  regarded,  and  then  he 
will  soon  recover.  He  should  be  fed  almost  wholly 
on  wet  bran,  and  given  one  dose  of  moderately 
strong  medicine  almost  before  the  other  is  set,  that 
is,  nine  or  eleven  days  will  be  required  for  the  three 
doses. 

SWEATING. 

As  much  stress  is  laid  upon  the  sweating  of  horses 
by  stable-people,  and  is  often  made  one  of  their  ex- 
cuses for  laziness  in  not  giving  them  more  water,  a 
short  space  cannot,  perhaps,  be  better  employed  than 
in  explaining  its  uses,  particularly  as  there  seems  to 
be  an  unaccountable  dread  of  the  secretion  of  the 
juices  in  the  animal.  Perspiration  is  a  wise  provi- 
sion of  nature  to  moisten  the  skin,  as  well  as  to  pre- 
rent  fever,  when  the  blood  is  forced  into  violent 
circulation  by  exertion.  Water,  therefore,  by  dilu- 
ting the  fluids,  and  enabling  this  process  to  go  on 
more  freely,  keeps  down  fever.  This  is  another  of 
the  horse's  best  friends,  but  condemned  by  the  sta- 
blemen aR  his  enemy,  because  it  occasion e  ihem  a 


44  THE    HORSE. 

little  more  trouble  in  cleaning ;  pa.-ticularly,  if  ho 
should  be  a  tliick,  long-coated  one,  and  horses  of 
this  description  are  iriost  liable,  from  shortness  of 
breath,  to  feel  a  quick  pace.  Not  but  that  it  would 
be  much  better,  if,  when  the  horse  begins  to  per- 
spire, the  pace  were  slackened,  until  be  becomes 
cool  again  :  for  when  the  animal  is  urged  into  a 
violent  sweat,  the  probable  issue  is  a  violent  fever, 
if  profuse  perspiration  does  not  come  to  his  relief. 
The  danger  is  where  this  secretion  is  not  in  propor- 
tion to  the  exercise  the  horse  has  undergone. 

Even  when  in  a  state  of  perfect  tranquillity,  with 
the  pulse  at  its  ordinary  beat  of  about  forty  vibra- 
tions to  the  minute,  the  insensible  perspiration  of  a 
horse,  in  good  condition,  is  very  great.  The  loss  of 
so  much  moisture  must  be  repaired,  or  there  would 
be  too  considerable  a  draught  upon  the  fluids,  and  a 
proper  degree  of  health  could  not  be  maintained. 
But  the  pores  are  again  replenished  by  an  adequate 
quantity  of  water.  As  well  might  a  horse  be  ex- 
pected to  bear  up  against  all  the  wear  and  tear 
occasioned  by  his  work,  without  food,  as  to  suppose 
he  could  endure  a  waste  of  fluids  without  injury, 
unless  something  supplied  their  place. 

SHOEING. 

Where  the  feet  or  hoofs  are  very  strong,  it  is 
always  best  to  drive  the  horse  through  the  summer 
months,  with  only  tips,  or  half  or  three-quarter  shoes, 
as  the  case  may  require.  When  the  latter  is  used, 
the  inside  heel  is  to  be  free  from  iron.  Corns  and 
thrushes  are  often  cured  by  this  treatment,  the  heels 
much  opened,  and  the  feet  altogether  improved.  But 
to  no  kind  of  foot  is  it  of  equal  advantage  as  to  the 
very  strong,  crusted,  contracted,  brittle  foot,  which 
clever  stablemen,  in  order  to  make  it  last  for  ever, 
have  spoiled  by  their  oils  and  their  stoppings ;  thereby 


THE   HORSE.  45 

preventing  perspiration,  thickening  the  horn,  and  pro- 
ducing fever.  They  make  the  hoofs  so  naiTOW  that 
the  horse  steps  w^ith  pain,  and  so  brittle,  that  they 
can  hardly  be  got  to  hold  nails  enough  to  keep  on 
their  shoes.  This  sort  of  foot  cannot  be  kept  wet 
enough  ;  but  w^hen  it  has  been  subject  to  this  vile 
treatment,  it  may  be  brought  round  by  the  following 
means. 

Never  allow  the  feet  of  your  horse  to  be  oiled,  or 
blacked,  or  polished.  Either  is  extremely  injurious, 
and  is  never  done  but  by  lazy  fellows,  vvho  wish  to 
make  the  hoofs  appear  as  though  the  proper  labour 
had  been  bestowed  upon  them,  when  the  reverse 
has  been  the  case  ;  but  even  in  this  they  do  not 
always  succeed,  and  what  is  it  to  them  if  they  ruin 
the  horse  ]  What  can  look  nastier,  on  a  fine  dry  day, 
than  these  oiled  hoofs,  covered  with  dust,  as  they 
must  be,  before  they  have  been  on  the  road  five 
minutes  '?  On  wet  days  they  are  as  bad  ;  the  black- 
ing looks  better  for  a  few  minutes  longer ;  but  if  the 
hoofs  be  narrowly  examined,  it  will  probably  be 
found  they  have  only  been  half  washed,  and  then 
bedaubed  over  to  conceal  the  remainingr  Jiit.  Oilins: 
also  makes  it  more  difficult  to  wash  the  hoofs  clean, 
and  so  the  oiling  grooms  do  not  attempt  so  arduous 
a  task.  But  by  putting  wet  serge  round  the  horn  of 
the  hoof,  a  more  beautiful  appearance  is  attained, 
than  can  be  conceived  by  those  who  have  never 
seen  it. 

Why  should  we  seek  to  hide  the  horse  under  thick 
coats  of  injurious  substances?  Is  not  the  horn  of 
the  horse,  when  smooth  and  clean,  a  pleasing  object? 
Little  dust  will  adhere  to  it,  when  not  doctored,  and 
that  little  may  be  brushed  off  in  a  moment  with  a 
rubber  or  pocket  handkerchief;  but  not  so  when  the 
hoofs  are  blacked  or  oiled.  The  mud  may  also  be 
removed  from  so  smooth  a  surface,  with  the  utmost 
ease,  by  a  wet  sponge,  or  any  other  substitute.  These 


46  THE    HORSE. 

considerations  do  not  escape  the  groom  who  under- 
stands his  business  and  performs  his  duty.  But 
when  you  have  to  deal  with  tea-kettle  grooms  and 
ostlers,  (and  these  are  the  class  of  people  designated 
stablemen  in  the  present  work,)  nothing  but  the  eye 
vOf  the  owner  of  the  horse  can  produce  any  effect 
upon  them.  They  consider  not  the  good  of  the  ani- 
mal itself,  nor  have  they  any  laudable  pride  in  the 
appearance  of  the  horses  they  turn  out  of  their  sta- 
bles. If  the  latter  pass  muster  at  all,  that  is  all  they 
care  about ;  and  the  less  knowledge  of  horses  their 
owners  possess,  the  more  advantage  they  take  of 
them. 

Never  buy  a  horse  with  pummice  soles,  for  any 
other  than  slow  purposes.  This  is  a  disease  which 
has  been  brought  on  by  violent  inflammation  of  the 
feet,  destroying  that  support  which  ought  to  subsist 
between  the  sensitive  part  of  the  foot,  and  the  crust 
through  which  the  horse  throws  all  his  weight  upon 
the  sole  of  the  hoof,  pushing  it  downwards,  and 
rendering  him  subject  to  severe  concussion  at  every 
step.  A  horse  of  this  kind  is,  therefore,  unfit  for 
travelling,  as  it  is  impossible  to  tell  w4iere,  or  how 
Boon,  he  must  unavoidably  be  left  behind. 

It  is  an  excellent  plan,  particularly  in  cold  weather, 
when  a  horse  comes  in  heated,  to  have  his  feet  and 
legs  (but  not  higher  than  his  knees)  washed  with 
warm  water,  and  then  a  bandage  put  round  the  legs 
till  they  become  dry.  If  the  bandages  be  dispensed 
with,  then  should  the  legs  be  rubbed  until  all  exter- 
nal moisture  has  been  removed,  especially  in  the 
fetlock.  This  will  always  prevent  cracked  heels, 
and  where  symptoms  of  these  have  already  been 
observed,  they  may  be  mostly  cured,  in  two  or  three 
days,  by  an  application  of  an  ointment,  consisting  of 
a  little  burnt  alum  and  hog's  lard.  If,  however,  they 
should  not  get  better,  under  this  treatment,  in  the 
course  of  four  days,  just  wet  the  chaps  with  vinegar 


THE    HORSE.  47 

and  a  slight  admixture  of  blue  vitriol.  Under  proper 
care,  the  cracks  will  be  washed  clean  and  rubbed 
dry  the  moment  the  horse  gets  to  his  resting  place, 
and  the  above  application  is  used  immediately  after- 
wards. 

All  persons  travelling  on  the  road  should  carry 
with  them  one  of  those  shoes  which  are  nailed  upon 
a  leather-sole,  and  fastens  on  with  buckles  and  straps, 
in  case  of  accident;  such  as  in  the  event  of  the  horse 
oven'eaching,  i.  e.  treading  with  his  hind  shoe  upon 
the  fore  one,  and  tearing  it  off;  or  lest  a  shoe  should 
come  off  from  any  other  cause  or  circumstance, 
which  in  remote  districts,  and  where  farriers  are 
scarce,  may  occasion  much  inconvenience  and  an- 
noyance, as  well  as  injury  to  the  horse.  It  may 
probably  happen  that  you  have  to  travel  miles  before 
you  reach  a  farrier's,  and  in  the  mean  while,  the 
unfortunate  hoof  becomes  so  broken  that  a  nail  can- 
not be  driven  into  it,  or  so  bruised  as  to  need  a 
poultice,  or  else  a  day  or  two's  rest.  Whereas,  by 
being  provided  with  one  of  the  shoes  above  descri- 
bed, it  may  be  readily  buckled  on,  and  it  enables  the 
traveller  to  proceed  with  comfort  and  safety,  without 
loss  of  time,  anxiety  or  yexation.  Where  the  hoof 
is  broken,  there  is  only  one  remedy,  that  of  getting 
the  horn  to  grow  again  as  quickly  as  possible;  and 
the  speediest  method  of  effecting  this  object,  is 
always  to  keep  the  hoof  wet. 

THE    MOUTH. 

Much  of  the  satisfaction  which  a  horse  is  capable 
of  affording  his  master  depends  upon  the  way  in 
which  the  latter  manages  the  mouth.  As  the  lasting 
qualities  of  the  horse,  as  well  as  his  temper,  his  ap- 
petite and  endurance,  the  safety  of  life  and  limb, 
all  depend,  in  great  measure,  upon  judicious  treat- 
ment in  this  important  respect,  no  apology  is  neces- 


48  THE    HORSE. 

eary  for  offering  a  few  observations  on  this  branch 
of  the  subject.  Not  that  any  remarks  here  made 
will  materially  serve  to  teach  the  science  of  the  hand 
in  the  application  of  that  science  to  the  mouth  of  a 
horse ;  but  what  is  of  much  more  consequence  to 
men  of  business  on  the  road,  a  few  words  may  pos- 
sibly answer  the  purpose  of  enabling  them  to  obtain 
a  more  entire  control  over  such  horses  as  fall  in  their 
way.  The  man  of  business  has  no  time  to  devote 
to  a  study  of  this  description,  and  even  if  he  had, 
without  the  assistance  of  a  competent  instructor,  he 
would  be  at  the  best  sadly  imperfect.  Nor  would 
tie,  with  every  advantage  from  books  and  teachers, 
acquire  a  knowledge  of  it  on  the  road.  Any  attempt 
CO  gain  experience  in  it  there,  would  only  have  the 
effect  of  knocking  the  horse  up  and  wearing  him  out; 
exemplifying  the  wisdom  of  Lord  Pembroke's  ad- 
cice  already  quoted.  It  is,  therefore,  chiefly  to  the 
aian  of  business  that  these  instructions  are  addressed, 
ii^et  others  may  derive  some  benefit  from  them ;  those 
for  instance,  who  have  not  the  inclination  to  study 
the  various  peculiarities  and  tempers  of  horses,  and 
who  would  submit,  not  only  to  nat^iral,  but  to  ac- 
quired bad  habits  in  them,  rather  than  take  the 
least  trouble  to  avail  themselves  of  the  means  sup- 
plied by  nature  herself  of  curing  their  defects,  de- 
veloping the  beauties  of  their  shape,  or  improving 
their  paces.  The  same  reflections  may  also  be  ser- 
viceable to  another  class  of  persons,  who  expect  one 
horse  to  perform  the  work  of  two  or  three. 

With  regard  to  making  the  mouth  of  a  horse,  or 
teaching  him  any  thing  new,  or  improving  his  paces, 
the  first  thing  to  be  observed  is,  that  he  must  be  fresh, 
and  only  taken  out  of  the  stable  for  a  short  time  at 
every  lesson,  while  being  taught,  and  until  he  is 
completely  fixed  in  that  lesson,  or  all  the  labour 
will  be  vain.  It  is  the  mode  of  teaching  them  that 
makes  horses  which  caiTy  themselves  well,  valuable; 


Titi:    irvKSi:.  49 

tmd  because  tlierc  are  few  qualified  to  teach,  and  still 
fewer  to  use  them  judiciously  afterwards  :  but  if 
once  set  by  a  good  hand  and  accustomed  to  a  good 
jockey,  it  will  be  long  before  they  lose  the  habits 
they  have  been  taught.  But  if  only  recently  set, 
and  then  put  to  hard  work,  under  an  inferior  hand, 
their  good  carriage  will  speedily  vanish.  This  is 
also  another  reason,  in  addition  to  those  already 
adduced,  for  preferring  aged  horses — the  age  re- 
commended for  work — as  the  can'iage  they  have  at 
that  time  they  will  probo.bly  continue  to  retain,  un- 
less dreadfully  overworked  indeed,  or  used  in  a  way 
contrary  to  nature,  instead  of  being  left,  as  recom- 
mended, as  much  as  possible  to  themselves;  for  the 
best  carriage  in  the  world  may  be  easily  spoiled. 

First,  then,  as  you  cannot  accommodate  your  hand 
to  the  horse's  mouth,  nor  are  able  to  make  his  mouth 
acquainted  with  your  hand,  furnish  him  with  a  bit 
in  which  he  can  go  comfortably ;  then  let  him  keep 
on  at  his  natural  pace,  never  urging  him  forward, 
except  you  find  him  coming  joitli'ui  your  hojid ;  that 
is,  if  he  keeps  himself  from  letting  you  feel  that  he 
is  touching  the  bit,  do  not  make  him  press  hard  upon 
it,  as  by  so  doing  he  would  l>e  knocked  up.  To 
urge  him  to  pull  one  or  two  pounds  at  your  hand  is 
pull  enough.  Keep-  in  mind  the  words  of  Lord 
rembroke  already  quoted,  *'  Do  not  mind  how  the 
horse  carries  himself,  so  that  he  carries  you."  The. 
grace  and  elegance  of  a  parade  horse  would  soon 
be  lost,  if  he  had  to  perform  journeys.  It  would  be 
impossible  for  the  dancing  master,  if  compelled  to 
work  as  a  ploughman,  to  preserve  his  elasticity  of 
gait.  Why,  then,  expect  it  in  the  horse  ]  Rather 
use  mild  bits  thaiji  severe  ones,  less  harm  resulting 
fi'om  the  former  than  the  latter. 


50  THE    HORSE. 


SADDLE  AND  HARNESS  GALLS. 

It  is  highly  important  that  the  harness  should  be 
properly  adjusted,  leaving  room  under  the  bearing 
hook  of  the  saddle,  and  bet^yeen  the  latter  and  the 
wither,  to  put  in  one  finger  easily,  when  the  saddle 
is  pressed  hard  down  to  the  horse's  back ;  otherwise 
the  nut  of  the  hook  may  press  upon  the  back-bone, 
which  will  most  probably  produce  a  sore  back ;  even 
should  he  not  be  thrown  down  and  bi-eak  his  knees 
into  the  bargain.  Slight  pressure  in  this  part  is  often 
the  cause  of  stumbling.  Care  should  be  taken  that 
the  pannel  stuffing  be  kept  soft  and  smooth,  which 
may  readily  be  done  by  causing  it  every  now  and 
then  to  be  dried  by  the  fire,  or  in  the  sun,  and  then 
beat  with  a  stick.  These  ixiinute  directions  to  some 
may  appear  trifiing,  but  those  who  have  been  plagued 
with  a  horse  ^v'ith  a  sore  back  for  some  months,  toge- 
ther with  the  repeated  chargers  for  fresh  stuffing,  &e. 
&c.,  will  not  be  unthankful  for  the  knowledge  of  a 
preventive.  Neither  should  the  saddle  press  on  the 
back-bone  at  the  hind  part,  or  eurtle,  as  this  would 
occasion  the  hoi'se  to  drop  behind,  and  sometimes  to 
lame  him.  It  is  better  to  have  a  collar  rather  small 
than  large.  A  large  collar  is  sure  to  wring  the  horse^s 
neck;  a  small  one  never  will.  Should  a  horse,  how- 
ever, have  a  swelled  back,  the  place  should  by  all 
means  be  bathed  for  some  time  with  moderately  hot 
water,  and  the  pannel-stuffing  diied  and  beat  as 
above  directed.  It  would  be  well  to  bathe  the 
shoulders  with  alum  and  cold  water,  till  the  swelling 
Bubside ;  and  as  the  sv.^elling  is  occasioned  either 
from  the  inside  of  the  collar  being  dirty,  or  fiom 
being  too  large,  let  the  inside  be  well  washed,  or  the 
collar  altered  as  circumstances  may  require. 

The  collar  should  always  be  what  saddlers  call 
false  lined  with  baked  horse  hair,  which  will  rendei 


THE  HOUSE.  51  _ 

it  (the  collar)  soft  and  pleasant  to  the  shoulders. 
Should  a  buckle  chafe  in  any  part,  remove  it;  or  if 
this  cannot  be  conveniently  done,  let  a  safe  be  placed 
under  it. 

In  order  to  cure  a  sore  back,  where  the  skin  is  off, 
bathe  the  place  every  morning  with  warm  water, 
and  also  at  night,  when  putting  up ;  taking  care,  after 
each  bathing,  to  apply  a  little  ointment  made  of  hog'A 
lard  and  burnt  alum,  spread  on  a  piece  of  linen  ;  (the 
full  size  of  the  sore ;)  and  then  be  careful  that  the 
pannel  be  so  charnelled  as  to  prevent  chafing.  A  few 
days  will  effect  a  cure. 

Again  :  if,  from  friction,  the  neck  should  become 
raw  before  any  injury  is  observed,  no  time  should  be 
lost  in  bathing  it  with  warm  water,  and  rubbing  in 
the  alum  ointment,  which  may  be  obtained  at  any 
chemist's.  But  mark,  the  collar  must  be  prevented 
touching  the  sore.  When  warm  water  is  mentioned, 
it  is  not  meant  to  be  more  than  temperately  warm, 
and  not  so  hot  as  to  scald ;  yet  still  as  warm  as  the 
animal  can  conveniently  bear  it;  for  it  should  be 
remembered  that  water  only  moderately  hot  to  the 
hand,  may  be  sufficiently  so  to  scald  the  horse. 

A  breechen  should  always  be  used,  in  order  to 
prevent  the  crupper  cutting  the  tail,  in  descending 
hills.  The  crupper  should  also  be  loose  ;  a  tight  one 
will  often  provoke  a  horse  to  kick  ;  even  where  the 
tail  is  not  rubbed  into  a  state  of  rawness. 

It  is  proper  to  observe  that  the  front  of  the  winkers 
be  kept  wide  enough  from  the  eyes  of  the  horse» 
This  precaution  will  prevent  the  winkers  pressing 
upon  and  inflaming  the  eyes ;  and  at  the  same  time 
prevent  him  seeing  behind  them,  as  he  mostly  can 
when  they  are  tight  in  front. 

It  is  better  to  have  the  weight  thrown  off  the  back, 
than  upon  it;  that  is  to  say,  let  the  shafts  at  the  back- 
hand be  rather  too  high  than  too  low.  It  should 
always  be  particularly  observed  whether  the  back- 


S2  T^IK    HORSE*  „ 

hand  ai.d  tugs  are  in  good  order ;  as  also  the  traces, 
which  take  the  splinter  at  the  eyes,  and  at  the 
buckles. 

The  reins  are  also  of  first-rate  importance  in  the 
trappings  of  the  horse.  Nothing  can  be  more  neces- 
sary than  to  see  that  the  tongues  of  the  buckles  be 
well  tied  before  they  are  used,  as  they  not  unfrequent- 
ly  give  way  even  in  new  reins.  Next  in  importance 
to  the  reins  is  the  brace,  which  holds  the  splinters  to 
the  body  of  the  chaise ;  for  if  the  brace  should  give 
way,  and  let  the  splinter  come  against  the  hocks  of 
the  horse,  he  is  almost  sure  to  kick  and  run  away. 

The  shafts,  particularly  if  made  of  lancewood, 
should  occasionally  be  examined  about  the  step,  and 
thence  to  the  backward  tug. 

BAITING. 

In  travelling  great  distances,  it  will  be  better  to  ba  it 
about  every  ten  miles;  let  the  horse  then  have  a  few 
mouthfuls  of  hay  and  as  much  water  as  he  chooses ; 
with  a  feed  of  corn  and  water  at  the  end  of  every 
twenty  or  thirty  miles ;  making  the  intermediate 
distances  as  convenient  as  possible.  The  horse  will 
be  rarely  incapacitated,  so  long  as  he  retains  his 
appetite ;  and,  if  thus  fed,  he  must  be  exceedingly 
overworked  (provided  he  has  any  pluck  and  be 
properly  driven)  if  he  lose  his  appetite. 

There  cannot  be  greater  folly,  or  something  worse, 
than  in  boasting  of  having  driven  a  horse  fifty  miles 
a  day  witliout  halting.  To  say  nothing  of  the  cruelty 
of  such  usage,  "what  state  must  the  horse  be  in  the 
next  day  ]  How  long  can  he  endure  such  treatment  % 
And  in  what  condition  would  he  have  been  under  a 
course  of  discipline  such  as  is  here  recommended  1 
It  would  be  well  for  the  thoughtless  to  ponder  these 
questions.  Others  say  that  their  horses  will  not  feed 
upon  a  journey ;  if  so.  it  is  useless  to  take  them  out. 


But  what  is  the  reusoii  of  their  not  feeding — mis- 
management. This  mismanagement  originates  either 
in  the  stable,  or  consists  in  over  driving,  or  in  inflict- 
ing unnecessary  puiiishment  by  the  whip.  Horses 
coming  under  this  description,  i.  c.  those  who  reject 
their  food  when  on  a  journey,  are  generally  nervous 
and  of  high  mettle  ;  but  if  mismanaged,  they  become 
not  worth  anything  ;  properly  treated,  they  are  very 
good  animals. 

The  foregoing  directions  are  given  upon  the  hypo- 
thesis that  the  horse  has  been  treated  by  the  rules 
laid  down  in  these  pages.  Should,  however,  this  not 
be  the  case,  the  only  difference  to  be  made  is,  to 
allow  him  as  many  (go  dowjis)  swallows  of  water, 
from  five  upwards,  as  his  previous  habits  may  war- 
rant ;  but,  under  any  circumstances,  let  him  not  be 
restricted  in  wa,ter,  until  lie  is  inclined  to  eat.  Should 
he  not  be  inclined  to  eat  without  an  immediate  quan- 
tity of  water,  drive  slower  for  the  next  few  miles. 
Six  quarts  of  water,  in  many  cases,  will  not  inconve- 
nience a  horse  more  than  a  glass  of  beer  would  a  man. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  observe,  that  attention 
to  frequent  baiting  is  ihe  more  nece.-sarv  in  winter. 
Some  persons  object,  on  accoui-t  of  losing  time,  to 
baiting  too  f»freii.  Tins  obieciion,  however,  is  per- 
fectly frivohtus.  'i'o  call  at  an  inn  dt)or,  and  get  the 
ostler  to  undo  the  cuib,  and  have  the  brldoon  taken 
out  of  the  mouth,  while  the  horse  drinks  and  eats  a 
few  mouthfuls  of  hay,  need  not  occupy  more  than 
three  minutes ;  while  the  rene^^'ed  freshness  of  the 
animal  will  amply  compensate  the  delay  and  the  ex- 
pense. Persons  who  are  so  unfeeling  as  not  to  be 
able  to  aflbrd  time  to  bait  their  horses,  find  <\mple 
leisure  to  refresh  themselves  much  lonoer  than  it 
would  be  necessary  to  reinvigorate  the  partially  ex- 
hausted frames  of  their  faithful  and  hard-working 
nags.  Besides,  attention  to  the  natural  wants  of  a 
horse  must  of  course  ['reserve  his  vigour,  and  \\\ 


64  TB£    HOR8&. 

crease  his  ability  to  perform  liis  daily  duty.  To 
neglect  a  matter  so  impoitant  as  that  of  supplying 
a  proper  quantity  of  food,  is  the  same  as  deliberately 
contriving  the  destruction  of  the  poor  animal.  Under 
all  circumstances,  therefore,  if  the  traveller  desires 
to  preserve  the  health  and  mettle  of  his  horse,  he 
will  always  refresh  his  nag  when  he  needs  refresh- 
ment himself.  It  is  proverbial,  that  a  good  master 
is  always  merciful  to  his  beast. 

BROKEN    KNEES. 

Persons  who  have  travelled  much  have  probably 
observed,  that  horses  accustomed  to  road-work,  par- 
ticularly if  they  should  come  under  the  description 
of  those  which  are  let  out  to  hire,  or  those  belong- 
ing to  commercial  travellers,  are  frequently  broken- 
kneed.  If  you  inquire  of  these  traffickers  in  horses 
the  reason  of  so  many  animals  being  blemished  in 
this  manner,  they  will  generally  give  the  most  unsa- 
tisfactory answers.  They  tell  you  it  is  by  throwing 
the  horse  down,  but  which  is  a  phi-^se  appro2)riate 
only  in  certain  cases.  By  over-working  a  horse,  and 
so  making  him  weary  on  his  legs,  he  will  2:)robably 
fall,  and  so  far  the  phrase  of  throwing  him  doivn 
may  not  be  incorrect.  It  is  scarcely  possible  to 
throw  down  a  good  horse  under  proper  treatment, 
but,  under  contrary  usage,  it  is  equally  difficult  to 
keep  him  firm  upon  his  legs. 

Those  who  pique  themselves  on  their  superior 
knowledge  of  horses,  are  precisely  tlie  persons  who 
are  the  most  liable  to  meet  with  accidents  to  their 
nags;  because  the  knowledge  of  such  persons  is 
always  shallow,  and  rather  vain-boasting,  or  pre- 
tence, than  otherwise.  Paradoxical  though  it  may 
seem,  the  worst  as  well  as  the  best  horsemen  meet 
with  the  fewest  accidents  by  falls.  A  good  rider  or 
dliver  allows  his  horse  to  go  as  he  pleases;   the  ani- 


THv:   HOK61:.  55 

mal,  therefore,  does  not  fatigue  himself  uselessly; 
as  his  master  exercises  the  precaution  of  taking 
advantage  of  circumstances  to  assist  him  as  much 
as  possible.  A  bad  rider  is  too  timid  to  play  tricks 
with  a  horse,  and  the  animal  is  consequently,  from 
a  very  different  cause,  left  much  to  his  own  way,  and 
thus  there  is  the  less  liability  to  accident  in  this  case. 
But  the  self-conceited  rider,  or  driver,  mars  nature, 
checks  the  animal  in  his  step,  ultimately  renders 
him  what  is  termed  tied  in  the  shoulders,  and  is  always 
keeping  him  on  the  fi*et.  The  result  is,  that  the 
horse  becomes  leg-weary  much  sooner  than  he  would 
otherwise  be,  and  hence  he  is  more  apt  to  stumble 
and  fall.  But  if  you  ask  a  gentleman  of  the  descrip- 
tion alluded  to,  why  he  thus  keeps  his  horse  in  a 
continual  fidget,  the  answer  would  probably  be,  that 
it  is  to  keep  him  up. 

But  as  accidents,  from  a  variety  of  causes,  will  be 
ever  occurring  to  horses,  it  will  not  be  irrelevant  to 
say  something  as  to  the  mode  of  cure,  as  well  as  the 
means  of  prevention.  In  the  case  of  injured  knees 
or  falls,  as  soon  after  the  accident  has  occurred  as 
possible,  the  knees  should  be  well  bathed  for  some 
time  with  hot  water,  even  though  they  should  not 
be  grazed ;  as  this  timely  precaution  will  tend  to 
prevent  swelling  from  a  bruise.  If  the  knees  should 
be  cut,  they  should  be  well  washed  and  cleansed  from 
even  the  smallest  particle  of  gravel  they  may  have 
received.  Let  them  afterwards  be  well  bathed  for 
a  moderate  period ;  but  no  grease  of  any  kind  should 
be  applied  to  the  wounded  part.  If  the  cut  be  not 
deep,  a  little  burnt  alum,  finely  powdered,  and  laid 
over  the  place,  so  as  to  dry  it  and  keep  off  the  dust, 
will  suffice ;  but  if  the  wound  should  be  of  a  more 
serious  nature,  the  better  plan  is  always  to  call  in 
the  assistance  of  a  veterinary  surgeon.  Ostlers  or 
stablemen,  in  cases  of  this  kind  should  never  be 
trusted ;  their  nostrums,  or  supposed  remedies,  are 


56  'i  iic   n»)i:si;. 

invariably  worse  than  the  disease.  The  applicatiou 
of  grease  is  always  injurious,  yet  ostlers  will  persist, 
if  you  let  them,  in  using  it  upon  every  slight  occa- 
sion :  it  always  irritates  the  skin.  When  it  is  desir- 
able to  conceal  a  hurt,  it  may  be  done  by  mixing  up 
a  little  soot  with  burnt  alum. 

BREED  OF  ENGLISH  HORSES. 

The  breed  of  these  useful  animals  may  be  de- 
scribed generally  under  the  following  denominations  i 

The  Road  Horse. 
The  Farmer's  Horse. 
The  Coach  Horse. 
The  Heavy  Draught  Horse. 
The  Dray  Horse. 
The  Cavalry  Horse. 
The  Race  Horse. 
The  Hunter. 
Galloways  and  Ponies. 
Upon  each  of  these  we  propose  to  say  a  few  words. 

THE    ROADSTER. 

The  roadster,  or  hackney,  is  the  one  to  which  the 
foregoing  pages  have  been  chiefly  dedicated ;  and 
as  so  much  has  already  been  said  upon  that  part  of 
the  subject,  it  may  not  be  inappropriate  to  conclude 
it  Vvdth  the  following  instances  of  the  sagacity  and 
fidelity  of  this  noble  animal. 

The  memory  of  the  horse  is  astonishing,  and  here 
is  proof  of  the  averment.  A  gentleman  rode  a  horse 
from  his  own  residence  to  a  distance  of  thirty  miles, 
in  a  direction  the  horse  had  never  gone  before.  The 
road  presented  difficulties,  but  the  gentleman  at 
length  reached  his  destination.  Two  years  elapsed, 
and  the  same  party  had  again  occasion  to  take  the 
same  journey ;  but  the  horse  had  not  traversed  the 


THK    HOKSE.  57 

ground  in  the  interim.  Before  he  reached  his 
journey's  end,  the  gentleman  was  benighted,  and  lost 
his  way,  but  trusting  to  the  sagacity  of  his  steed,  he 
threw  the  reins  upon  his  neck,  and  in  half  an  hour 
was  at  his  friend's  door. 

A  foreign  Professor,  of  Halle,  relates  the  follow- 
ing : — A  friend  of  his  riding  home  through  a  wood 
in  a  dark  night,  struck  his  head  against  the  branch 
of  a  tree,  and  fell  from  his  horse  stunned.  The  steed 
immediately  returned  to  the  house  which  they  had 
lately  left,  and  pawed  at  the  door  until  some  one 
rose  and  opened  it.  The  aniinal  turned  about,  and 
the  man,  in  astonishment,  followed  him  :  the  faithful 
and  intelligent  animal  led  him  to  the  place  where 
his  master  lay  senseless  upon  the  ground. 

Hundreds  of  other  similar  anecdotes  of  the  saga- 
city of  the  horse  might  be  added  if  space  permitted, 
or  if  there  were  any  novelty  in  I'elating  them. 

THE    farmer's    horse. 

The  farmer's  horse  is  one  that  has  to  undergo  all 
sorts  of  drudgery,  both  for  business  and  pleasure ; 
ridden  or  driven  to  market,  or  church,  or  on  a  visit 
to  some  rather  distant  neighbour,  or  sometimes  lent 
to  a  friend  to  go  anywhere.  For  this  kind  of  horse, 
the  best  standard  is  reckoned  about  fifteen  hands 
and  two  inches  ;  that  is,  higher  than  the  road  horse. 
An  animal,  with  a  shoulder  thicker,  lower,  and  not 
so  slanting,  as  that  in  the  roadster,  is  preferable  for 
the  collar;  and  collar-work  is  that  for  which  the 
farmer's  horse  is  chiefly  destined.  Horses  for  this 
purpose  should  be  stout  and  compactly  built,  with- 
out being  particularly  heavy ;  and  if  they  are  half- 
bred,  meaning  that  they  have  some  blood  in  their 
veins,  so  much  the  better.  The  farmer's  horse 
requires  both  weight  to  push  forward,  and  activity 
to  get  over  the  ground. 


58  THE    HORSE. 

Formerly  there  was  a  prepossession  among  farmers 
in  favour  of  huge,  bulky  horses,  but  that  has  declined, 
and  given  vs^ay,  in  a  considerable  measure,  to  more 
rational  notions.  What  the  farmer  really  requires  is 
a  horse  of  moderate  size,  but  strong  and  active ;  not 
one  large  in  make  and  slow  in  progi'ess. 

It  cannot,  however,  be  expected  that  horses  used 
at  the  plough,  or  in  draught,  will  be  found  the  most 
agi'eeable  saddle  or  pleasure  horses ;  but  what  does 
a  small  farmer  want  with  a  dashing  steed  ?  If  his 
horse  will  carry  him  to  market  or  to  church,  and  per- 
form his  week-day's  work,  he  ought  to  be  satisfied ; 
but  if  not  over-worked,  or  over-weighted,  he  will 
go  comfortably  enough  on  other  occasions. 

A  farmer,  not  in  an  extensive  way,  should  always 
prefer  a  mare  to  a  gelding.  There  is  less  cost  in 
the  purchase,  and  more  work  to  be  obtained  in  the 
end,  with  the  former  than  the  latter ;  besides,  there 
is  advantage  to  be  derived  fi'om  her  breeding ;  and 
she  maybe  rendered  useful  while  breeding,  if  worked 
moderately. 

The  Arabs  are  perhaps  the  best  judges  of  horses, 
as  well  as  the  most  considerate  masters  of  them,  in 
the  world.  They  set  the  highest  estimation  upon 
mares,  and  are  thoroughly  convinced,  that  the  value 
of  the  foal  depends  not  so  much  on  the  sire  as  on 
the  dam ;  for  which  reason  they  refuse  very  large 
prices  for  mares  of  high-blood.  It  may  also  be  ob- 
served, that  they  trace  the  pedigree  of  a  horse  not 
through  the  sire,  but  through  the  dam.  The  follow- 
ing quotation  from  Bishop  Hall,  who  ^vrote  in  tht 
Elizabethan  era,  may  be  here  appositely  introdmced 

"  Dost  thou  prize 
Thy  brute  beast's  worth  by  their  dam's  qualities  ? 
Say'st  thou  this  colt  shall  prove  a  swift-paced  steed 
Only  because  a  jennet  did  him  breed? 
Or  say'st  thou  this  same  horse  shall  win  the  prize, 
Because  his  dam  was  swiftest  Tranchefice  ? 


THE    HORSE.  59 

Much  useful  information  on  this  subject  may  be 
found  in  a  work  by  Mr.  Roberts,  entitled  "  The 
Veterinarian." 

THE    COACH-HORSE. 

The  coach-horse  has  improved  with  the  refine- 
ment of  the  times.  He  is  not  now  the  same  vulgar 
animal  he  was  wont  to  be  in  by-gone  days.  He  has 
cast  off  his  old-fashioned,  stiff-looking  coat,  and 
mounted  one  of  modern  gentility.  Formerly  he  was 
one  of  the  most  clumsy,  unmannerly,  ill-begotten, 
misshapen  animals  in  the  world ;  and  just  as  well 
qualified  to  be  harnessed  to  a  dray  as  to  a  chariot. 

We  shall  here  take  leave  to  borrow  a  few  passages 
from  old  writers,  and  others,  in  relation  to  this  topic. 

Wheel-carriages,  or  whirlicotes,  as  they  were  then 
called,  came  first  into  use  so  long  back  as  the  reign 
of  Richard  II.,  about  the  year  1381.  We  are  told 
by  Stowe,  that  "  Richard  II.,  being  threatened  by 
the  rebels  of  Kent,  rode  from  the  Tower  of  London 
to  the  Mile's-end,  and  with  him  his  mother,  because 
she  was  sick  and  weak,  in  a  whirlicote ;^^  which  con- 
sisted of  merely  four  boards  put  together  in  the 
rudest  manner.  Side-saddles  afterwards  became  the 
fashion,  until  the  time  of  Elizabeth,  when  coaches 
were  first  used.  Recumng  again  to  old  Stowe,  he 
says,  in  his  Survey  of  London  and  Westminster, 
*'  Divers  great  ladies  made  them  coaches,  and  rode 
in  them  up  and  down  the  countries  to  the  great 
admiration  of  all  beholders;"  adding,  with  a  quaint- 
ness  peculiar  to  the  times,  "  the  world  runs  on  wheels 
with  many  whose  parents  were  glad  to  go  on  foot." 

The  clumsiness  of  the  horses,  and  the  cumbrous- 
ness  of  the  vehicles,  rendered  this  mode  of  travel- 
ling, for  a  long  period,  any  thing  but  speedy  or 
pleasant.  On  the  demise  of  George  11.,  the  Duke 
of  Devonshire,  the  Lord  Chamberlain,   arrived  in 


60  THE    HORSE. 

town  A-om  Chatsworth,  in  Derbyshire,  in  three  days; 
but  the  Duke  of  Rutland,  not  being  equally  expe- 
ditious, Mr.  Speaker  Onslow  apologized  for  him,  by 
informing  the  House  that  the  Duke  of  Devonshire 
had  travelled  at  '"  a  prodigious  rate,  not  less  than 
Jiftt/  miles  a-dayT 

A  stage-coach,  at  that  time,  took  the  whole  day 
to  travel  from  London  to  Epsom,  a  distance  of  only 
sixteen  miles,  and  the  passengers  dined  upon  the 
road.  From  Edinburgh  to  London,  lietween  which 
cities  there  was  only  one  monthly  conveyance  as  a 
stage-coach,  the  time  occupied  in  performing  the 
distance  was  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  days. 

Hackney-coaches  were  first  introduced  in  London 
in  the  reign  of  Charles  I. 

The  principal  points  of  the  coach-horse  are  those 
which  qualify  him  for  endurance  of  hard  work  ;  a 
deep  and  Vv'ell-proportioned  body,  bone  under  the 
knee,  substance  in  its  right  place,  and  sound,  open, 
tough  feet. 

The  origin  of  the  coach-horse  is  the  Cleveland 
bay,  but,  perhaps,  with  a  mixture  of  other  north ern 
counties  besides  Yorkshire. 

THi:    HEAVY    DRAUGHT-HORSE. 

Horses  of  this  denomination  are  descended  from 
the  Norman  stallion  and  the  Suffolk  cart-mare ;  but 
the  true  Suffolk  (and  the  same  may  be  said  of  the 
Cleveland)  is  now  nearly  extinct.  It  stood  from 
fifteen  to  sixteen  hands  higli,  of  a  sori'el  colour;  was 
large-headed,  low-shouldered,  and  thick  on  the  top; 
deep  and  round-chested,  long-backed,  high  in  the 
croup,  large  and  strong  in  the  quarters,  full  in  the 
flanks,  round  in  the  legs,  and  short  in  the  pasterns. 
The  present  breed  inherits  many  of  the  good  quali- 
ties of  the  original ;  it  is  more  or  less  inclined  to  a 
©orrel   colour ;    is  taller,    higher,    and    finer  in  the 


THE    HonbE".  61 

shoulders;  and  is  a  cross  with  the  Y(  rkshire*  half  or 
three-fourths  bred. 

The  old  Suffolk  possessed  remarkable  nimbleness 
of  action,  and  the  modern  breed  has  not  entii^ely  lost 
it.  The  cart-horse  has  this  peculiarity ;  he  knows 
the  extent  of  his  powers,  and  failing  to  accomplish 
the  task  imposed  upon  him,  no  exercise  of  the  whip, 
or  any  other  method  of  spurring  him  on,  will  succeed 
in  making  him  exert  his  strength,  and  strain  his 
muscles  in  vain.  The  Suffolk  punch  is  now  greatly 
changed  from  what  he  was  in  his  high  and  palmy 
days.  There  is  also  the  Clydesdale  breed,  very  good 
for  hilly  farms ;  and  the  heavy  hlack  liorsc,  bred 
chiefly  in  the  midland  counties  from  Lincolnshire 
to  Staffordshire,  They  are  sold  by  the  dealers  in 
the  London  market  at  a  handsome  premium. 

THE    DRAY  HORSE. 

This  -kind  of  horse  should  have  a  broad  breast, 
with  thick  and  upright  shoulders,  a  low  forehand, 
deep  and  round  baiTel,  loins  broad  and  high,  ample 
quarters,  thick  fore-arms  and  thighs  ;  short  legs, 
round  hoofs,  broad  at  the  heels,  and  not  too  flat  in 
the  soles.  The  heavy  draught  horse  has  been  latterly 
much  crossed  by  the  Flanders'  breed,  and  evidently 
to  advantage.  Those  attached  to  brewers'  drays  are 
generally  animals  of  the  finest  description,  large, 
muscular,  and  in  excellent  condition.  They  always 
know  what  they  are  about,  and  are  coirected  as 
easily  as  a  child,  or  more  so,  and  are  perfectly  docile. 
The  dray  horses  in  the  metropolis,  and  other  large 
towns,  are  of  inestimable  importance. 

THE  CHARGER,  OR  CAVALRY  HORSE. 

The  noble  animal  bearing  this  name  is  not  trained 
for  vulgar  uses,  either  on  the  road  or  at  the  plough ; 


62  THE    HORSE. 

but  to  shine  upon  the  parade,  and  for  prowess  in  the 
field  of  battle.  Great  judgment  is  requisite  in  select- 
ing horses  of  this  description  for  the  service.  Under 
the  system  now  considered  obsolete,  the  horses  of 
our  dragoons  were  chosen  rather  for  their  bulk  and 
strength,  than  for  their  lightness  and  activity.  It 
seemed  as  if  it  had  been  thought  that  an  imposing 
appearance  was  the  only  thing  desirable ;  but  a 
change  has  since  taken  place  in  this  respect,  and 
war-horses  have  latterly  been  selected  for  their  nim- 
bleness  and  capability  of  getting  over  the  ground. 
The  artificial  method  of  training  a  cavalry-horse,  so 
as  to  make  him  at  once  showy  on  the  parade  and 
courageous  in  the  field,  must  necessarily  disqualify 
him  for  commonly  useful  purposes.  This  innova- 
tion, however,  on  old  notions,  may  be  carried  too 
far :  every  one  knows  the  fate  of  the  French  cuiras- 
siers, when  opposed  to  our  household  troops  at 
Waterloo.  It  was  the  weight  of  the  horses  that  car- 
ried the  day ;  and  to  this  Wellington  was  indebted  for 
his  triumph,  and  to  this  did  the  conqueror  of  many 
nations  owe  his  final  downfall. 

But,  although  heavy  horses  may  overcome  lighter 
ones  in  fierce  collision,  there  can  be  no  question 
that  light  horses  are  of  superior  value  in  skirmishing 
or  busy  campaigns. 

The  port  and  demeanour  of  the  charger  can  never 
be  mistaken.  He  appears,  like  the  eagle,  ready  to 
soar  into  the  heavens.  His  eye  is  bright  and  spark- 
ling; the  neck  is  curved  in  the  form  of  a  beautiful 
arch ;  and  his  breast  protrudes  in  graceful  majesty. 
In  a  word,  he  is  a  splendid  creature. 

"  The  fiery  courser,  when  he  hears  from  far 
The  sprightly  trumpets  and  the  shouts  of  war. 
Pricks  up  his  ears,  and  trembling  with  delight. 
Shifts  place,  and  paws,  and  hopes  the  promised  fight 
On  his  right  shoulder  his  thick  mane  reclined. 
Ruffles  nt  speed,  and  dancesi  in  the  win**  .* 


His  horny  hoots  are  jetty  black  and  round  ; 
His  chine  is  double  ;  starting  with  a  bound, 
He  turns  the  turf,  and  shakes  the  solid  ground : 
Fire  from  his  eyes,  clouds  from  his  nostrils  flow, 
He  bears  his  rider  headlong  on  the  foe. " 

Mr.  Rogers,  the  author  of  The  Pleasures  of  Memory, 
a  delightful  work,  has  three  lines  upon  the  charger, 
worthy  of  being  repeated  : — 

"  And  when  the  drum  beats  briskly  in  the  gale. 
The  war-worn  courser  charges  at  the  sound, 
And  with  young  vigour  wheels  the  pasture  ground." 

It  would  be  almost  unpardonable  not  to  notice  the 
epitaph  upon  the  charger  of  Sir  Ralph  Abercrombie, 
who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Alexandria,  in  Egypt, 
on  the  21st  of  March,  1801,  and  who  was  father  of 
the  late  speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons,  now 
raised  to  the  peerage  by  the  title  of  Lord  Dunferm- 
line. His  gallant  steed  received,  on  that  memorable 
day,  no  less  than  seven  musket-balls  and  two  sabre- 
cuts,  and  afterwards  became  the  property  of  a  person 
of  the  name  of  Watson,  at  Malta,  which  person 
placed  a  stone  over  his  remains,  in  the  following 
words : — 

**  Here  lies  the  celebrated  charger  of  the  late  Lieu- 
tenant-General  Sir  Ralph  Abercrombie,  who  was 
killed  at  the  memorable  battle  of  Alexandria,  21st 
March,  1801,  where  this  noble  animal  received,  on 
that  glorious  day,  seven  musket-balls  and  two  sabre- 
cuts,  when  he  afterwards  became  the  property  oi 
John  Watson,  of  Malta,  who  placed  this  stone  over  hi; 
remains,  in  token  of  his  rare  services,  peculiar  quali- 
ties, high  spirits,  and  good  temper.  This  esteemed 
horse  departed  this  life  of  miseiies,  September  12th, 
1823,  aged  thirty-six  years, 

*  Sua  cuique  voluptas  I '  ** 


64  THE    MORSE. 

He  is  buried  in  the  garden,  under  the  southwest 
battery,  at  Marsa,  near  Floriland,  in  the  island  of 
Malta. 

THE  RACE  HORSE. 

It  has  been  stated,  upon  good  authority,  that  the 
race  horse  is  not  an  aboriginal  of  Europe,  but  that  it 
derives  its  breed  from  the  warmer  climes  of  Asia. 
It  is  undoubtedly  a  fact,  that  the  horses  of  G-reat 
Britain  surpass  those  of  all  other  breeds,  for  the  turf, 
for  the  chase,  or  for  the  road.  The  English  race- 
horse in  blood  is  nearly  allied  to  the  true  Arabian 
courser,  but  is  much  larger,  and  is  not  to  be  surpassed 
by  any  coursers  in  the  world.  Take  a  thorough- 
bred English  racer,  and  whether  he  is  placed  on  the 
burning  plains  of  India,  or  in  the  frigid  regions  of  the 
north,  it  will  be  found  that  he  has  a  spirit,  a  speed, 
and  a  courage,  unequaled  by  any  other  quadruped 
of  the  same  species  in  the  world.  It  is  related,  that 
an  ordinary  racer  has  been  known  to  go  at  the  rate 
of  a  mile  in  less  than  two  minutes ;  but  there  have 
been  instances  of  horses  running  nearly  a  mile  in  one 
minute. 

The  form  of  the  head  of  the  English  racer  resem- 
bles that  of  the  Arabian.  The  neck  is  beautifully 
arched,  (one  of  the  greatest  beauties  in  the  horse  ;) 
his  shoulders  are  oblique  and  lengthened ;  his  hind 
legs  are  well  proportioned;  his  quarters  ample  and 
muscular;  his  whole  legs,  from  the  knee  downwards, 
sufficiently  graduated, 

"  Small  by  degrees  and  beautifully  less." 

ThorougJi-hred  is  a  term  employed  in  Britain  to 
indicate  the  descent  of  a  horse  from  the  Eastern,  or 
Arabian  courser;  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
English  racer  has  been  much  improved  by  the  com- 
mixture of  his  blood  with  that  of  Asia.  The  horses 
of  the  first  blood,  remarks  a  good  judge,  or  such  as 


ai'e  the  nearest  possible  to  the  Eastern  stock,  are 
those  hnmediately  produced  from  an  Arabian  or 
Barbary  stallion  with  an  English  mare,  which  has 
been  already  crossed  with  a  Barb  or  Arabian  steed 
in  the  first  degree. 

THE    HUNTER. 

The  hunter  should  be  well  bred,  and  the  more 
allied  to  thorough-bred  the  better.  The  chief  points 
to  be  regarded  in  his  make,  are,  that  he  should  have 
plenty  of  haunch ;  be  well  ribbed,  or  tight  and  trim 
built ;  of  a  full  chest,  with  good  hams ;  and  a  nose 
that  will  go  into  a  quart-pot.  The  hunter  is  the 
field-marshal  in  the  chase  :  he  is  one  of  the  most 
spirited  and  courageous  of  animals,  and  his  sagacity 
and  judgment  in  leaping  can  scarcely  be  exceeded 
by  any  animals  endowed  only  with  instinct.  In  com- 
parison with  the  race  horse,  he  is  inferior  in  blood, 
but  superior  in  metal,  and  he  may  be  taken  alto- 
gether as  the  paragon  of  animals. 

THE    GALLOWAY. 

The  Galloway  is  a  stout  compact  horse,  taking 
its  name  from  the  district  so  called,  in  Scotland,  to 
the  soil  of  which  it  may  be  said  to  be  indigenous. 
It  is  comparatively  small  in  size,  seldom  exceeding 
fourteen  hands  in  heiglit,  but  for  mountainous  and 
rugged  districts  is  invaluable.  The  best  properties 
of  the  Galloway  are  supposed  to  be  its  inheritance 
from  the  Spanish  Jennets  that  escaped  from  the 
wreck  of  the  Armada,  in  the  time  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth.    The  Galloway  is  generally  of  a  bay  colour. 

Galloways  are  capable  of  performing  prodigious 
work.  In  1754,  a  horse  of  this  denomination,  be- 
longing to  a  Mr.  Corker,  went  one  hundred  miles 
a-day,  over  the  Newmarket  course,  and  without  the 
slightest  distress. 

6* 


Cti  riit    HOH5S. 


I'OMEis. 

I'oMBS  are  horses  in  miniature;  and,  therefore, 
the  Lrealincnt  of  animals  of  mature  growth,  is  appli- 
cahie  to  those  of  smaller  size.  The  less  may  be  con- 
seijuently  said  upon  this  branch  of  the  subject. 

The  sheltle  is  the  most  diminutive  of  the  breed, 
and  seems  totally  distinct  from  all  others.  In  height 
it  varies  from  seven  and  a  half  hands,  and  is  proba- 
bly one  of  the  earliest  b/eeds  introduced  into  Great 
]>ritain. 


DECORATION. 


Men  have  an  uneasy  propensity  for  improvement, 
which  leads  them  to  deform  almost  all  the  w^orks  of 
Nature  of  v^^hich  they  have  control ;  they  cut  down 
trees  in  one  place,  and  plant  them  in  another,  to 
beautify  the  landscape ;  they  shave  their  own  faces, 
hang  ornaments  on  their  ears,  and  deform  their 
bodies  ;  they  exclude  the  light  of  day  from  their 
houses  to  create  an  artificial  night,  and  at  midnight 
illuminate  them  with  artificial  light  to  create  a  mimic 
day.  Even  the  horse,  the  most  beautiful  and  most 
useful  of  all  the  lower  animals,  they  strive  to  deco- 
rate by  depriving  him  of  the  most  prominent  of  his 
graces  ;  they  convert  his  tail  into  a  sightless  stump, 
and  his  mane  into  a  stubborn  brush.  But  the  true 
principle  for  man  in  morals,  as  in  everything  else,  is 
to  let  alone. 

Stablemen  are  not  often  blessed  with  a  very  keen 
perception  of  the  beautiful  in  externals  ;  and  their 
attempts  at  decoration  in  the  case  of  the  horse  are 
generally  extremely  unfortunate.  Many  of  their 
operations  consist  in  removing  something  supposed 
to  be  noxious  or  superfluous.  To  judge  of  their 
propriety  it  is  necessary  to  consider  briefly  the  uses 
and  properties  of 


HAIR. 


It  is  intended  to  keep  the  animal  warm,  and  be- 
ing a  slow  conductor  of  heat,  is  well  adapted  for 


68 


THE    liOKSE. 


preserving  it ;  it  absorbs  no  moisture,  and  when  the 
horse  is  in  health  every  hair  is  anointed  with  an 
oily  fluid,  which  imparts  a  beautiful  gloss,  and 
repels  moisture. 

The  hair  is  shed  in  spring  and  autumn  ;  the  win- 
ter coat  is  much  longer  and  coarser  than  that  of 
the  summer,  and  requires  more  care  to  keep  it  in 
order. 

Moulting,  and  the  length  and  thickness  of  the 
coat,  are  much  influenced  by  stable  management 
and  the  weather.  Horses  that  are  much  exposed  to 
the  cold  have  longer  and  coarser  hair  than  those 
that  are  kept  in  warm  stables.  Moulting  may  even 
be  entirely  prevented  by  heavy  clothing  and  warm 
stablmg.  Grooms  often  hasten  the  fall  of  the  win- 
ter coat  by  extra  dressings  but  this  can  never  be 
done  without,  danger  from  exposure  in  unseason- 
able weather. 

The  hair  which  grows  on  the  legs  of  horses  is 
longer  and  stronger  than  that  which  grows  on  the 
body,  because  those  parts  are  more  exposed  to  the 
wet,  and  require  a  coarser  protection  ;  it  is  always 
longest  in  horses  that  are  reared  in  marshy  situa- 
tions. 

The  hair  of  the  mane  seems  to  add  greatly  to  the 
beauty  of  the  horse,  but  it  is  only  beautiful  because 
It  is  useful ;  it  protects  the  neck  and  head  from  flies, 
and  in  the  wild  state  falls  equally  on  each  side  of 
the  neck.  The  hair  of  the  mane  and  tail  are  de- 
ciduous, but  they  do  not  fall  at  regular  periods  like 
the  coat. 

DOCKING. 

It  has  been  supposed  that  the  back  becomes 
stronger  after  the  tail  has  been  docked  ;  but  the 
supposition  is  without  a  particle  of  evidence,  and  it 
is  difficult  to  account  for  so  gross  an  error.  Some 
writers  assert  that  the  tail  of  the  horse  assists  him  in 


Tiir:  HOUSE.  69 

turning,  like  that  of  the  kangaroo,  or  the  gray 
hound  ;  and  if  this  is  true,  as  its  action  when  run- 
ning plainly  indicates,  cavalry  horses  and  racers  must 
lose  a  great  deal  of  their  natural  power  by  docking. 
In  addition  to  the  manifest  cruelty  and  absurdity  of 
docking,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  operation 
very  frequently  induces  lockjaw  and  death.  But 
when  docking  is  determined  on,  it  should  be  done 
when  the  colt  is  but  two  or  three  months  old,  as 
at  that  early  age  it  is  less  difficult,  and  accomplished 
with  less  danger  than  when  the  operation  is  delayed 
to  a  later  period. 

NICKING. 

This  operation  is  very  justly  getting  into  disre- 
pute. Its  object  is  to  make  the  horse  elevate  his 
tail.  Two  or  three  deep  incisions  are  made  on  the 
lower  surface  of  the  tail,  the  muscles  by  which  it  is 
depressed  are  divided,  and.  a  portion  of  them  ex- 
cised. The  wounds  are  kept  open  for  several  days, 
and  the  tail  is  kept  in  elevation  by  means  of  pulleys 
and  weights ;  but  a  better  method  of  obtaining  the 
same  result  is  by  using  the  pulleys  and  weights 
alone. 

DRESSING  THE  TAIL. 

It  was  once  the  custom  to  colour  the  tails  and 
manes  of  horses,  and  red  was  a  very  fashionable 
tint ;  but  this  practice  has  been  abandoned.  The 
hair  of  the  tail  is  usually  combed  and  brushed  every 
day  ;  and  when  it  does  not  hang  gracefully,  frequent 
washings  and  combings  will  have  a  good  effect.  But 
if  an  exuberant  tail  is  wanted,  it  should  have  but 
very  little  combing.  Circus  riders  never,  or  rarely, 
make  use  of  the  comb. 


70  THE    HORSE. 


DRESSING  THE  MANE. 

In  general  the  manes  lie  to  the  right  side ;  but  in 
some  horses  it  is  parted  in  the  middle,  falling  equal- 
ly on  each  side  of  the  neck.  To  make  it  lie,  the 
groom  combs  and  wets  it  several  times  a  day.  When 
that  is  not  sufficient,  he  weaves  it  into  ten  or  fifteen 
plaits,  with  a  piece  of  lead  at  the  extremities. 
Draught  horses  should  seldom  have  the  mane  or 
tail  thinned ;  they  have  a  marked,  stiff  appearance 
when  deprived  of  too  much  hair. 

TRIMMIVG  THE  EARS. 

The  inside  of  the  ear  is  coated  with  fine  hair, 
which  is  intended  as  a  screen  against  rain,  flies  and 
dirt.  It  is  a  very  common,  but  a  very  stupid  prac- 
tice to  trim  this  hair  away  by  the  roots ;  and  the 
consequences  must  be  sometimes  highly  disastrous. 
Cropping  the  ears  was  once  frequently  practised, 
but  is  very  rarely  done  now. 

TRIMMING  THE  FACE, 

The  nostrils  and  lips  are  protected  by  long  fine 
hairs,  scattered  wide  apart,  and  standing  perpendicu- 
larly to  the  skin  ;  these  hairs  perform  the  same  func- 
tions as  the  whiskers  of  the  cat,  and  are  of  great 
importance.  The  roots  are  endowed  with  a  pe- 
culiar sensibility,  and  serve  as  sentinels  to  warn  the 
horse  of  the  presence  of  injurious  objects.  There 
are  several  grouped  together  above  and  below  the 
eye.  The  slightest  touch  on  the  ends  of  these  hairs 
is  instantly  felt  by  the  horse.  It  is  usual  with 
grooms  to  cut  these  hairs  off,  but  they  can  give  no 
reason  for  doing  so ;  and  the  annoyance  which  the 
operation  gives  the  horse  ought  to  warn  them  to  de- 


TlIK    HORSE. 


7i 


sist  from  so  unnatural  a  practice.  The  long  hair 
which  grows  upon  the  throat  channel  and  necks  of 
horses,  like  that  upon  the  human  neck,  is  designed 
as  a  protection  to  the  most  dehcate  part  of  the  sys- 
tem ;  and  its  removal  causes  fatal  colds  in  both  man 
and  beast.  The  hair  is  sometimes  trimmed  from 
the  neck  of  the  horse  by  clipping  and  singeing.  It 
certainly  does  not  improve  the  looks  of  the  horse, 
and  cannot  be  of  service  in  any  other  respect. 

TRIMMING  THE  HEELS  AND  LEGS. 

The  hair  of  the  fetlock,  the  hollow  of  the  pastern, 
and  the  posterior  aspect  of  the  legs,  is  larger  in 
draught  horses  than  on  those  of  finer  bone.  It  is  m- 
tended  to  keep  the  legs  warm,,  and  to  protect  them 
from  external  violence  ;  but  it  is  the  practice  with 
grooms  to  cut  this  hair  off  short  to  the  roots.  There 
has  been  considerable  question  respecting  the  pro- 
priety of  trimming  the  heels.  Some  contend  that 
the  hair  soaks  up  the  moisture  and  keeps  the  skin 
wet  and  cold,  producing  sores  and  scur.finess  ;  but 
others,  with  greater  show  of  reason,  contend  that 
the  long  hair,  instead  of  causing  those  evils,  is  the 
only  sure  preventive  of  them. 

SINGEING. 

Singeing  off  the  superfluous  hair  which  grows 
about  the  throat,  neck,  belly  and  quarters  of  the 
horse,  is  sometimes  performed  by  stablemen  m  the 
same  way  that  a  cook  singes  a  fowl ;  but  it  is  more 
frequently  done  with  a  knife  having  a  moveable 
back,  suiTounded  with  tow  moistened  with  spirits 
of  wine,  and  set  on  fire.  As  the  knife  is  drawn  over 
the  hairs,  their  points  start  up  and  are  taken  off  by 
the  flame. 


72  THE  HORSE. 

ARTICLES  USED  AS  FOOD. 

KINDS  OF  FOOD. 

In  this  country  horses  are  fed  upon  oats,  hay, 
grass  and  roots.  Many  people  talk  as  if  they  could 
be  fed  on  nothing  else.  But  in  other  parts  of  the 
world,  where  the  productions  of  the  soil  are  differ- 
ent, the  food  of  the  horse  is  different.  "  In  some 
sterile  countries  they  are  forced  to  subsist  on  dried 
fish,  and  even  on  vegetable  mould  ;  in  Arabia,  on 
milk,  flesh-balls,  eggs,  broth,  &;c.  In  India,  horses 
are  variously  fed.  The  native  grasses  are  judged 
very  nutritious.  Few,  perhaps  no  oats  are  grown  ; 
barley  is  rare,  and  not  commonly  given  to  horses. 
In  Bengal,  a  vetch,  something  like  the  tare,  is  used. 
On  the  western  side  of  India,  a  sort  of  pigeon-pea, 
called  gram  (cicer  arietinum, )  forms  the  ordinary 
food,  with  grass  while  in  season,  and  hay  all  the 
year  round.  Indian  com  or  rice  is  seldom  given. 
In  the  West  Indies,  maize,  Guinea  corn,  sugar-cane 
tops,  and  sometimes  molasses,  are  given.  In  the 
Mahratta  country,  salt,  pepper,  and  other  spices  are 
made  into  balls  with  flour  and  butter,  and  these  are 
supposed  to  produce  animation,  and  to  fine  the  coat. 
.l3roth  made  from  sheep's  head  is  sometimes  given, 
in  Fiance,  Spain  and  Italy,  besides  the  grasses,  the 
Jeaves  of  limes,  vines,  the  tops  of  acacia,  and  the 
j^ceds  of  the  carab-tree,  are  given  to  horses." 

The  articles  upon  which  horses  are  fed  in  this 
country  are  usually  arranged  into  three  classes. 
That  which  possesses  the  least  nutriment  in  propor- 
tion to  its  bulk,  is  tQ^rae^  fodder,  and  consists  of 
grass,  hay  and  straw  ;  that  which  possesses  the  most 
nutriment  in  proportion  to  its  bulk,  is  termed  grain. 
Tills  word  is  often  used  as  if  it  belonged  exclusively 
to  oats  ;  but  it  is  a  general  name  for  all  the  kinds  of 
grain  and  pulse  upon  which  horses  are  fed.     In  this 


THE   HORSE.  7i3 

woik  1  is  hr^tid  only  in  its  general  sense.  Roots, 
such  as  carrots,  turnips  and  potatoes,  form  the  third 
kind  of  food.  In  relation  to  their  bulk,  they  have 
less  nutriment  than  grain,  and  more  than  fodder. 

GREEN  IIEUBAGE. 

There  are  several  kinds  of  green  food,  but  the 
individual  properties  of  each  are  so  little  known, 
that  much  cannot  be  said  about  them. 

Grass  is  the  natural  food  of  horses.  It  is  provided 
for  him  without  the  interference  of  art.  It  is  com- 
posed of  a  great  number  of  plants,  differing  much 
or  little  from  each  other  in  structure,  composition 
and  duration.  Some  of  the  natural  grasses  are  to 
the  horse  mere  weeds,  destitute  of  nutriment,  though 
not  positively  injurious.  Several  are  rejected,  or 
eaten  only  when  there  is  nothing  else  to  eat,  and 
none  are  sufficiently  rich  to  maintain  the  horse  in 
condition  for  constant  work,  even  though  the  work 
be  moderate.  At  a  gentle  pace  he  may  travel  a  few 
miles  to-day,  but  he  is  unfit  for  a  journey  to-morrow. 
By  cutting  the  grass  and  bringing  it  to  the  stable, 
the  horse  may  be  saved  the  labour  of  collecting  it ; 
but  still  he  can  render  very  little  service. 

Grass,  however,  or  green  herbage  of  some  kind, 
is  given  to  almost  all  horses  during  a  part  of  the 
year.  The  young  animals,  from  the  time  they  are 
weaned  till  they  are  fit  for  work,  receive  gi'ass  as 
long  as  it  can  be  had.  Hunting  and  racing  colts  ex- 
cepted, they  receive  little  else. 

It  is  commonly  believed  that  grass  has  some  reno- 
vating and  purifying  properties,  not  possessed  by  hay 
nor  by  grain.  It  is  true  that  all  the  kinds  of  green 
herbage,  including  clover,  saintfoin,  lucerne,  tares 
and  ryegrass,  produce  a  change  upon  the  hoi^se. 
But  whether  the  change  be  for  better  or  for  worae^ 
ifi  another  qnnation.     For  the  first  two  or  three  days, 


74  THE  HORSE. 

green  food  relaxes  the  bowels  and  increases  the  se- 
cretion of  urine  and  of  perspiration.  Very  often  it 
produces  an  eruption  on  the  skir.,  particularly  when 
given  along  with  a  large  allowance  of  grain.  When 
the  horse  is  permitted  to  eat  what  he  pleases,  the 
belly  becomes  large.  Thesje  effects  may  be  termed 
immediate.  They  are  most  apparent  at  the  com- 
mencement, but  are  visible  so  long  as  the  horse  re- 
ceives any  considerable  quantity  of  grass.  Green 
food  produces  other  effects  not  so  easily  traced. 
Wounds  heal  more  kindly,  inflammatory  diseases 
are  not  so  fatal,  and  chronic  diseases  frequently 
abate,  or  they  entirely  disappear,  under  the  use  of 
grass.  The  horse,  however,  is  always  soft,  when 
fed  much  on  green  food.  He  sweats  a  great  deal, 
and  is  soon  exhausted  by  his  work. 

Clove?',  Rye-grass,  Tares,  Lucerne,  Saintfoin  and 
the  Oat-Plant,  are  all  used  as  green  food.  So  far 
as  the  horse  is  concerned,  one  seems  to  be  as  good 
as  any  of  the  others.  They  appear  to  produce  the 
same  effects  as  grass.  Amid  such  variety  we  might 
expect  to  find  some  difference ;  but  I  have  not  been 
able  to  perceive  any.  Some  horses,  indeed,  like 
one  article  better  than  another,  but  this  &eems  to  be 
mere  taste,  for  no  one  of  them  appears  to  be  gene- 
rally preferred  nor  rejected.  There  are  various 
opinions,  however,  as  to  the  comparative  value  of 
these  articles.  Some  affirm  that  clover  is  less  nutri- 
tious than  rye-grass,  some  that  tares  are  poor  watery 
feeding,  and  others  that  lucerne  and  saintfoin  are 
the  best  of  the  whole  lot.  But  opinion  on  the  sub- 
ject seems  to  be  quite  vague.  Whatever  one  affiiTns, 
another  will  be  found  to  deny.  In  Scotland,  lucerne 
and  saintfoin  are  very  little  used ;  but  clover,  rye- 
grass and  tares  are  given  each  in  their  season,  as  if 
one  were  equal  to  another. 

Beans,  wheat,  rye  and  oats,  the  whole  plant,  are 
sometimes,  but  very  seldom,  and  never  regularly 


THE    HORSE.  76 

used  as  food  for  horses.  Cabbage,  and  some  other 
g^een  articles,  are  eaten,  but  they  deserve  no  par- 
ticular notice.  Several,  which  form  the  ordinary 
green  food  of  horses  in  other  countries,  are  not 
grown  here.  The  leaves  and  clippings  of  the  vine 
are  much  used  in  many  parts  of  France. 

Furze  is  generally  used  on  the  frontiers  of  France 
and  Spain ;  and  the  British  cavalry,  while  in  the 
Pyrenees,  under  the  duke  of  Wellington,  had  no 
other  forage. 

DRY  HERBAGE. 

In  Great  Britain  the  dry  herbage  consists  of  hay 
and  straw.  In  France  the  vine-leaves  are  collected 
and  stored  for  winter  fodder.  In  the  West  Indies 
the  tops  of  the  sugar-cane  are  deemed  highly  nutri- 
tious, after  they  are  dried  and  sweated  a  little  in 
heaps.  In  a  season  of  abundance,  ricks  of  the  cane- 
tops  the  butt-ends  in,  are  made  in  a  corner  of  each 
field,  to  supply  the  want  of  pasturage  and  other 
food.  These  are  chopped  small  and  mixed  with 
common  salt,  or  sprinkled  with  a  solution  of  molasses. 
Maize  is  sometimes  made  into  hay.  "  When  Guinea 
or  Indian  corn  is  planted  in  May,  and  cut  in  July, 
in  order  to  bear  seed  that  year,  that  cutting  properly, 
tended,  makes  an  excellent  hay,  which  cattle  prefer 
to  meadow  hay.  In  like  manner,  after  the  corn  has 
done  bearing  seed,  the  after  crop  furnishes  abun- 
dance of  that  kind  of  fodder  which  keeps  well  in 
ricks  for  two  or  three  years."*  '*  In  some  places 
dried  ferns,  reeds,  flags,  small  branches  or  twigs  are 
dried  and  used  as  substitutes  for  hay."t  Doubtless 
there  are  many  other  plants  made  into  fodder,  in 
different  parts  of  the  world.  Where  Canary  com 
is  raised  the  chaff  and  straw  are   given  to  horses, 

*  Bracy  Clark's  Pharmacopceia  Equina, 
t  Blaine's  Outlines  of  Vet  Med. 


76  THE    HORSE. 

from  which  it  is  said  they  derive  more  nutiiraent 
than  from  hay. 

HAY. 

In  Scotland,  most  of  the  hay  used  for  horses  is 
composed  of  rye-grass,  or  rye-grass  and  clover.  The 
natural  hay,  which  is  not  very  much  used  here,  con- 
tains several  plants.  Much  of  the  hay  in  Scotland  is 
bad.  A  good  deal  is  grown  on  poor  land,  and  this  is 
soft,  dwarfish,  and  destitute  of  nutriment.  But  hay  in 
general  is  not  well  made.  In  the  south  it  is  cured 
with  more  skill,  and  preserved  with  more  care.  The 
best  we  have  in  the  west  of  Scotland  is  procured 
from  Stirlingshire,  and  is  composed  of  rye-grass  and 
a  little  clover. 

In  England  clover-hay  stands  in  high  repute  for 
hard-working  draught  horses.  In  the  market  it 
brings  20  per  cent,  more  than  meadow  or  rye-grass 
hay.  Hard  upland  meadow  hay  is  preferred  for 
hunters  and  racers,  because,  I  suppose,  they  are  apt 
to  eat  too  much  of  the  clover.  In  Scotland,  rye- 
gi*ass,  or  a  mixture  of  rye-grass  and  clover,  is  consi- 
dered the  best  for  all  horses.  Here  we  have  almost 
no  good  meadow  hay,  and  most  of  that  made  from 
the  natural  grasses  is  hardly  worth  preserving. 

Good  Hay  is  about  a  year  old,  long  and  large, 
hard,  tough ;  its  colour  inclining  to  green,  rather  than" 
to  white  ;  it  has  a  sweet  taste  and  pleasant  smell ; 
the  seed  is  abundant ;  infused  in  hot  water,  it  pro- 
duces a  rich,  dark-coloured  tea.  The  less  dust  it  has 
about  it  the  better ;  but,  from  the  soil,  and  the  way 
m  which  hay  is  made  here,  it  is  seldom  free  from 
dust.  In  damp  weather  hay  absorbs  much  moisture, 
and  weighs  a  good  deal  the  heavier. 

New  Hay  is  purgative  and  debilitating.  It 
seems  to  be  difficult  of  digestion.  [American  hay 
is  drier  and  better  cured  than  English,  and  we  be- 


THE    HORSE.  77 

lieve  that  it  contains  more  saccharine  matter ;  thes» 
observations,  therefore,  can  hardly  apply  to  it.]  The 
horse  is  fond  of  it,  and  will  eat  a  large  quantity, 
much  of  which  passes  through  him  little  altered  by 
the  digestive  process,  and  probably  retaining  a  good 
deal  of  its  nutriment.  On  the  other  hand,  hay  which 
is  very  old  is  dry,  tasteless  and  brittle.  The  horse 
rejects  much  and.  eats  little.  Old  hay  is  much  re- 
commended ;  but  by  old  I  suppose  is  meant  not  new. 
In  the  south,  perhaps,  stacked  hay  does  not  so  soon 
degenerate  as  in  the  north,  where  it  is  certainly  old. 
enough  in  one  year. 

Heated  Hay,  sometimes  termed  mowburnt,  is  that 
which  has  undergone  too  much  fermentation.  In 
curing  hay  it  is  thrown  in  a  heap  to  sweat,  that  is, 
till  a  slight  degree  of  fermentation  takes  place,  which 
is  arrested  by  exposing  the  hay  to  the  air.  This,  it 
appeal's,  is  necessary  for  its  preservation  in  the  stack. 
But  sometimes  the  process  is  carried'  too  far,  or, 
more  frequently,  it  is  re-excited,  after  the  hay  is 
stored  past.  Hay  that  has  been  thus  injured  is  not  all 
alike.  Some  of  it  ac(]uires  a  very  sweet  sugary 
taste  ;  and  this  portion  is  eaten  ;  some  of  it  is  chang- 
ed in  colour  to  a  dark  brown,  and  has  its  texture  al- 
tered ;  it  is  short,  brittle  as  rotten  wood,  and  has  a 
disagreeable  taste  ;  this  portion  seems  to  be  reject- 
ed;  another  portion  of  the  same  stack  is  mouldy, 
stinking,  quite  rotten,  and  no  horse  will  eat  this.  All 
kinds  of  hay,  however  good  originally,  may  suffer 
this  injury.  When  the  damage  has  been  slight, 
most  horses  will  eat  certain  portions  of  the  hay  very 
greedily ;  they  seem  to  be  fond  of  it  for  the  first 
week,  but  subsequently  it  is  rejected  in  disgust. 
Upon  the  whole,  I  believe  it  is  the  most  unprofit- 
able fodder  that  horses  can  receive.  When  very 
bad  it  is  dear,  though  obtained  in  a  gift,  for  it  often 
does  much  mischief,  particularly  to  horses  of  fast 
work.      Much   is  wasted,  and  that  which  is  eaten 

7» 


78  THE   HORSE. 

does  little  good.  It  is  almost  as  poisonous  as  it  is 
nutritious.  Slow  draught  horses  may  not,  indeed, 
be  greatly  injured  by  it.  But  good  wheat-straw 
may  be  better.  To  fast,  hard-working  horses,  such 
as  those  employed  in  mails,  it  is  a  strong  diuretic  ; 
and  its  diuretic  power  does  not  diminish  by  use. 
Hay  forms  an  important  part  of  the  horse's  food, 
particularly  of  those  horses  that  receive  no  roots  nor 
boiled  meat.  Bad  hay  will  change  the  horse's  ap- 
pearance and  condition  in  two  days,  when  he  has 
an  unlimited  quantity  of  corn.  By  bad  hay  I  mean 
that  which  is  unwholesome.  It  may  be  poor,  having 
little  nutriment,  but  sweet  and  digestible  without 
being  pernicious.  But  good  straw  is  better  than 
unwholesome  hay  for  all  kinds  of  horses.  The  kid- 
neys are  excited  to  extraordinary  activity.  The 
urine,  which,  in  this  disease,  is  always  perfectly 
transparent,  is  discharged  very  frequently  and  in 
copious  profusion.  The  horse  soon  becomes  hide- 
bound, emaciated  and  feeble.  His  thirst  is  exces- 
sive. He  never  refuses  water,  and  he  drinks  it  as  if 
he  would  never  give  over.  The  disease  does  not 
produce  death,  but  it  renders  the  horse  useless,  and 
ruins  the  constitution.  Should  he  catch  cold,  or 
take  the  influenza,  which  prevailed  so  much  in  Glas- 
gow during  the  winter  of  1836,  glanders  is  seldom 
far  off.*  One  ton  of  good  hay  will,  unless  the  men 
be  excessively  careless,  go  as  far  as  two  tons  of  that 
vv^hich  is  bad.  To  slow-work  horses,  mowburnt  hay 
may  be  given  with  less  detriment,  but  it  is  less  un- 
profitable when  consumed  by  cattle. 

Musty  Hay  is  known  by  its  bad  colour,  its  un- 
pleasant smell,  and  bitter  taste.  It  is  soft,  and  coat- 
ed with  fungi.     Like  all  other  hay,  its  smell  is  most 

*  The  influenza  I  mean  was  not  at  all  similar  to  a  disease 
which  went  under  the  same  name  at  the  same  time  in  England. 
We  had  almost  none  of  the  English  influenza  till  the  last  week  of 
May,  1837.     In  the  month  of  June  it  was  very  prevalent. 


THE    HORSE.  79 

distinct  when  slightly  damped  by  breathing  upon  it. 
Old  hay  is  often  musty,  without  having  been  heated. 
None  but  a  hungry  horse  will  eat  it,  and  when  eaten 
in  considerable  quantity  it  is  said  to  be  "  bad  for 
the  wind."  In  truth  it  is  bad  for  every  part  of  the 
body.  In  some  places  they  sprinkle  this  musty  hay 
with  a  solution  of  salt,  which  induces  the  horse  to  eat 
it ;  but  even  thus  it  answers  better  for  bedding  than 
for  feeding,  and  to  that  purpose  the  horse  applies 
the  most  of  it. 

Weather-beaten  Hay  is  that  which  has  lain  in  the 
sward  exposed  to  the  rain  and  the  sun.  It  is  musty, 
full  of  dust,  sapless,  bleached  or  blackened,  and  des- 
titute of  seed.  Such,  also,  is  the  state  of  that  which 
has  stood  too  long  uncut.  All  hay  should  be  cut  a 
few  days  before  the  seed  is  quite  ripe.  After  it  has 
lost  most  of  its  seed  and  its  juices,  little  is  left  to 
afford  nutriment. 

Salted  Hay,  that  is,  hay  with  which  salt  has  been 
mingled  at  the  time  of  stacking  it,  is  not  much  used 
ill  Scotland.  It  is  not  to  be  had.  I  can  tell  nothing 
about  it.  Horses  are  said  to  prefer  it  to  any  other. 
But  the  principal  motive  for  salting  hay  is  to  pre- 
serve it  when  the  weather  requires  that  it  be  stack- 
ed before  it  is  sufficiently  dry.  Salt  prevents  or 
checks  fermentation.  It  darkens  the.  colour  of  the 
hay  and  makes  it  weigh  heavier,  for  salt  attracts 
moisture.  Salt,  I  think,  should  not  be  forced  on  the 
horse.  It  may  excite  too  much  thirst.  Given  apart 
from  the  food,  he  may  take  all  that  is  good  for  him. 
Damaged  hay  is  often  sprinkled  with  salt  water, 
which  seems  to  render  it  less  disgusting,  and  may 
possibly  coiTect  its  bad  properties.  It  should  be 
wetted  as  wanted,  for  it  soon  becomes  sodden  and 
rotten. 

The  Daily  Quantity  of  Hay  allowed  to  each  horse 
must  vary  with  the  quality  and  the  work.  If  the 
grain  b*^  Hmited,  the  horse  will  eat  a  greater  weight 


80  TlIK    HORSK. 

of  poor  hay  than  of  that  which  is  more  nutiitious. 
If  it  be  damaged,  he  must  consume  more  than  if  it 
were  sound,  for  he  rejects  some,  perhaps  a  half,  and 
that  which  he  eats  does  not  furnish  so  much  nutri- 
ment. When  the  work  is  fast,  the  horse  must  not 
have  so  much  as  to  give  him  a  large  belly.  Eight 
pounds  of  good  hay  is  about  the  usual  allowance  to 
fast-working  horses,  who  may  receive  from  twelve  to 
fifteen  or  eighteen  pounds  of  grain.  Large  draught 
horses  will  consume  from  twenty  to  thirty  pounds, 
but  the  quantity  is  seldom  limited  for  these.  Much, 
however,  depends  upon  the  allowance  of  gi'ain. 
A  German  agriculturist  calculates  that  eight  pounds 
of  meadow  hay,  or  seven  of  that  made  from  clover, 
tares,  or  saintfoin,  afford  as  much  nourishment  as 
three  pounds  of  oats.  Of  the  hay  raised  on  poor 
soils,  nine  pounds  may  be  required. 

A  horse  can  live  on  hay  and  water,  and  when 
thrown  off  work  for  a  considerable  period,  he  often 
receives  nothing  else.  This  is  not  always  right. 
The  horse  becomes  so  feeble  and  so  pot-bellied,  that 
it  is  long  ere  better  food  will  restore  his  condition 
for  work.  A  little  grain,  some  roots,  or  a  bran-mash, 
though  given  only  once  in  two  days,  will  help  to 
keep  him  in  flesh.  I  have  heard  of  the  horse  being 
kept  almost  entirely  on  hay,  receiving  grain  only 
when  he  was  to  be  used.  I  would  recommend  the 
owner  to  confine  himself  to  bread  and  water  for  a 
week  or  two,  and  then  try  what  work  a  beef-steak 
will  enable  him  to  do.  There  is  a  material  differ- 
ence between  eating  to  live  and  eating  to  work. 
The  stomach  and  bowels  will  hardly  hold  sufficient 
hay  to  keep  even  an  idle  horse  alive. 

The  only  preparation  which  hay  receives  before 
it  is  given,  is  that  of  cutting  it  into  chaff,  into  short 
pieces.  When  given  uncut,  the  groom  does,  oi 
should,  shake  out  the  dust  before  he  puts  it  in  the 
rack. 


THE    HORSK.  81 

Hay  Tea. — An  infusion  of  hay  made  by  pouring 
boiling  water  upon  it,  and  covering  it  up  till  cool, 
has  been  recommended  as  an  excellent  nutritious 
drink  for  sick  horses,  and  also  for  those  in  health. 
It  might  perhaps  be  a  very  good  substitute  for  gruel ; 
possibly  a  quart  or  tw^o  of  the  tea  might  not  be  a  bad 
thing  for  a  racer,  given  between  heats,  and  toward 
the  end  of  the  day,  when  the  horse  is  beginning  to 
get  exhausted  from  fasting,  but  it  has  not  been  tried. 

Hay-Seed, — In  Scotland,  and  wherever  the  hay  is 
made  chiefly  from  rye-grass,  the  seed  is  often  made 
use  of  in  feeding.  It  is  sometimes  mixed  with  the  oats 
to  prevent  the  horse  from  swallowing  them  whole, 
but  most  generally  it  is  given  along  with  the  boil- 
ed food,  either  to  divide  it  or  to  soak  up  the  hquor. 
It  contains  more  nutriment  than  the  hay  itself,  but 
probably  not  a  great  deal,  unless  the  hay  has  stood 
too  long  uncut.  Some  people  say  that  hay-seed  is 
bad  for  the  wind,  but  I  have  never  been  able  to  trace 
any  evil  to  its  use.  There  is  always  much  dust 
mingled  with  it,  and  this  should  always  be  removed 
by  washing.  Sometimes  the  seed  is  boiled,  and 
Bometimes  merely  added  to  the  boiled  food  while  it 
is  hot.  I  do  not  know  that  boiUng  improves  it,  but 
it  is  much  better  liked  after  boiling  or  masking  than 
in  its  raw  state. 

STRAW. 

There  are  five  kinds  of  straw  used  as  fodder. 
Straw,  however,  is  little  used  here.  In  many  parts 
of  Europe,  wheat,  barley,  or  rye  straw  forms  the 
whole  or  greater  part  of  the  dried  herbage,  hay  be- 
ing almost  unknown.  In  some  of  the  towns,  wheat 
and  oat  straw  are  occasionally  given  to  cart-horses, 
and  in  some  cases  to  coaching-horses.  In  the  country, 
both  white  and  black  straw  are  in  common  use  as  win- 
ter fodder  for  the  farm-horses.      It  is  very  probable 


82  THE  HORSE. 

that  wheat  straw,  and  perhaps  some  of  the  others, 
may  soon  be  used  much  more  extensively  than 
they  are  at  present.  Good  straw  is  certainly  better 
than  bad  hay,  and  possibly,  by  increasing  the  allow- 
ance of  grain,  and  catting  the  straw,  hay  might  be 
almost  entirely  dispensed  with.  Though  containing 
much  less  nutriment,  it  still  contains  some,  and  it 
serves  quite  as  well  as  hay  to  divide  the  grain  and 
give  it  a  wholesome  size.  It  must  be  understood 
that  food  ought  to  possess  bulk  proportioned  in  some 
degree  to  the  capacity  of  the  digestive  organs.  Nu- 
triment can  be  given  in  a  very  concentrated  state, 
yet  it  is  not  proper  to  condense  it  beyond  a  certain 
point.  Grain  alone  will  give  all  the  nourishment 
which  any  horse  can  need,  but  he  must  also  have 
some  fodder  to  give  bulk  to  the  gi'ain,  though  it  need 
not  of  necessity  yield  much  nutriment.  Straw,  there- 
fore, may  often  be  used  where  hay  is  used. 

But  when  horses  are  living  chiefly  on  hay,  as  many 
farm-horses  do,  during  part  of  the  v/inter,  it  must 
not  be  supposed  that  an  equal  quantity,  or  indeed 
any  quantity  of  straw,  will  supply  the  place  of  that 
hay.  The  stomach  and  bowels  will  hardly  hold  hay 
enough  to  nourish  even  an  idle  horse,  and  as  straw 
yields  less  nutriment  in  proportion  to  its  bulk, 
enough  cannot  be  eaten  to  furnish  the  nutriment 
required.  The  deficiency  must  be  made  up  by  roots 
or  grain. 

When  much  straw  is  used,  part  or  the  whole  ought 
to  be  cut  into  chaff.  It  is  laborious  work  to  masti- 
cate it  all,  and  in  time  it  will  tell  upon  the  teeth, 
which  in  old  horses  are  often  worn  to  the  gums,  even 
by  hay  and  grain. 

Bai-n  Chaff. — The  shell  which  is  separated  from 
wheat  and  oats  in  thrashing  is  often  given  to  farm- 
horses.  It  seems  to  be  very  poor  stuft*.  It  looks  as 
if  it  contained  no  nutriment,  yet  it  may  serve  to  di- 
▼ide  the  grain,  to  make  the  horse  masticate  it,  and 


THE    HORSE.  83 

to  prevent  him  from  swallowing  it  too  hurriedly.  In 
this  way  it  may  so  far  supply  the  place  of  cut  fodder. 
But  the  barn  chaff  is  usually  mingled  with  the  boiled 
food,  and  if  the  article  be  very  soft,  the  chaff  may 
give  them  consistence,  but  it  does  little  more.  The 
coving  chaff  of  beans  is  said  to  form  a  very  good 
manger  food. 

ROOTS. 

Potatoes,  carrots  and  turnips  are  the  roots  chief- 
ly used  for  feeding  horses.  Parsnips,  sugar  beet, 
mangel-wurzel  and  yams,  are  occasionally  employed. 

POTATOES 

Are  given  both  raw  and  boiled ;  in  either  state 
they  are  much  relished  by  all  horses  as  a  change 
from  other  food.  They  are  rather  laxative  than 
otherwise,  and  especially  when  given  uncooked. 
Given  raw  and  in  considerable  quantity  to  a  horse 
not  accustomed  to  them,  they  are  almost  sure 
to  produce  indigestion  and  colic  ;  when  boiled  or 
steamed  they  are  less  apt  to  ferment  in  the  stomach. 
For  horses  that  do  slow,  and  perhaps  not  very  hard 
or  lon^  continued  work,  potatoes  may,  in  a  great 
measure,  or  entirely,  supersede  grain.  They  are 
little  used  for  fast-work  horses,  yet  they  may  be 
given,  and  sometimes  they  are  given,  without  any 
harm.  On  many  farms  they  form,  along  with  straw 
fodder,  the  whole  of  the  horse's  winter  food.  In 
Essex,  farm-horses  have  been  kept  throughout  the 
winter  entirely  upon  steamed  potatoes.  Each  horse 
got  fifty  pounds  per  day,  and  did  the  ordinary  work 
of  the  farm  with  the  greatest  ease.  Some  salt  was 
mixed  with  them,  and  occasionally  a  little  sulphur, 
which  is  quite  superfluous. 

According   to    Professor  Low,  fifteen  pounds  of 
raw  potatoes  yield  as  much  nutriment  as  four  and  a 


84  THE    HORSE. 

half  pounds  of  oats.  Von  Thaer  says,  that  three 
bushels  are  equal  to  112  pounds  of  hay.  Curwen, 
who  tried  potatoes  very  extensively  in  feeding  horses, 
says  that  an  acre  goes  as  far  as  four  acres  of  hay. 
He  steamed  them  all,  and  allow^ed  each  horse  daily 
2  libs,  with  a  tenth  of  cut  straw,  which  he  preferred 
to  hay  for  this  mode  of  feeding. 

The  potatoes  should  be  of  a  good  kind,  and  not 
frosted.  They  should  always  be  cooked  either  by 
steaming  or  boiling.  They  are  best  when  steamed. 
Horses  like  them  as  well  raw,  but  they  are  exces- 
sively flatulent,  and  this  bad  property  is  much  cor- 
rected by  cooking,  and  by  adding  some  salt.  When 
boiled,  the  process  should  be  performed  with  little 
water,  and  as  quickly  as  possible.  When  nearly 
ready,  the  water  should  be  altogether  withdrawn, 
and  the  potatoes  allowed  to  dry,  uncovered,  on  the 
fire  for  a  few  minutes.  They  should  be  put  on  with 
hot  water.  They  are  always  over-boiled.  Horses 
prefer  them  when  hard  at  the  heart.  There  is  a  gene- 
ral prejudice  against  the  liquor  in  which  potatoes 
are  boiled.  It  is  said  to  be  injurious.  In  small 
quantities  it  certainly  produces  no  apparent  evil. 
I  often  see  it  given,  not  as  a  drink,  but  along  v/ith 
potatoes,  beans  and  chaff,  which  are  all  boiled  to- 
gether and  mixed  into  a  uniform  mass,  in  general 
too  soft.  In  some  places  the  potatoes  are  not  wash 
ed  when  boiled.  If  the  earth  do  not  relax  the  bow 
els,  I  am  not  aware  that  it  does  any  injury,  and  tho 
horses  do  not  appear  to  dislike  it.  When  the  mass^ 
however,  from  the  addition  of  chaff,  requires  much 
mastication,  this  sand  or  earth  must  wear  down  the 
teeth  very  fast. 

TURNIPS 

Are  in  very  general  use  for  farm  and  cart-horses. 
Of  late  they  have  also  been  used  a  good  deal  in  the 
coaching-stables  j  in  many  they  have  superseded  the 


rUE  HORSE,  8d 

carrot.  The  Swedish  rariety  is  preferred.  Com- 
mon white  and  also  yellow  turnips  are  almost  worth- 
less. According  to  Von  Thaer,  100  pounds  of 
Swedes  are  equal  in  nutiiment  to  22  of  hay.  For 
slow  horses,  turnips  to  a  certain  extent  supersede 
grain,  but  for  fast-workers,  they  save  the  hay  more 
than  the  grain.  They  have  a  fine  odor  when  boiled, 
and  this  seems  to  make  the  horse  feed  more  hearti- 
ly. They  fatten  the  horse  very  rapidly,  and  pro- 
duce a  smooth  glossy  coat  and  loose  skin. 

They  are  sometimes  washed,  sliced,  and  given 
raw,  but  in  general  they  are  boiled,  and  occasionally 
steamed.  In  the  raw  state  they  excite  indigestion 
very  readily,  and  are  not  much  liked.  Few  horses 
get  them  oftener  than  once  a  day.  They  may  be 
given  oftener,  but  the  horse  soon  begins  to  refuse  them. 
If  they  are  to  be  used  for  several  successive  weeks, 
they  should  not  be  given  oftener  than  once  in  twenty- 
four  hours,  or  at  most  twice,  and  then  not  in  very 
large  quantities.  When  the  quantity  of  food  is 
limited,  the  horse  will  be  glad  to  get  them  at  all 
times,  but  in  that  case  he  must  have  little  work. 
Straw,  or  hay,  and  turnips,  will  make  an  idle  horse 
fat ;  they  will  enable  him  to  do  some  slow  work,  but 
to  perform  full  work  the  horse  will  not,  or  cannot 
eat  enough  to  keep  him  in  condition  :  and  for  fast 
work  he  would  eat  more  than  he  could  well  carry. 
Most  usually  they  are  given  only  once  a  day,  and  at 
night  after  work  is  over ;  chaff  or  hay-seed,  and 
some  grain,  generally  beans,  are  boiled  along  with 
them.  They  should  always  be  washed.  They  re- 
quire much  boiling,  and  when  large  they  may  be  cut. 

CARROTS. 

This  root  is  held  in  much  esteem.  There  is  none 
better,  nor  perhaps  so  good.  When  first  given  it  is 
slightly  diuretic  and  laxative.     But  as  the  hors©  be 

8 


86  THE  HORSE. 

comes  accustomed  to  it,  these  effects  are  not  pro- 
duced. Carrots  also  improve  the  state  of  the  skin. 
They  form  a  good  substitute  for  grass,  and  an  ex- 
cellent alterative  for  horses  out  of  condition.  To 
sick  and  idle  horses  they  render  grain  unnecessary. 
They  are  beneficial  in  all  chronic  diseases  of  the 
organs  connected  with  breathing,  and  have  a  mark- 
ed influence  upon  chronic  cough  and  broken  wind. 
They  are  serviceable  in  diseases  of  the  skin.  'In 
combination  with  oats,  they  restore  a  worn-out  horse 
much  sooner  than  oats  alone. 

CaiTOts  are  usually  given  raw.  Sometimes  they 
are  boiled  or  steamed,  but  horses  seem  to  like  them 
better  raw.  They  are  washed  and  sliced.  They 
are  often  mingled  with  the  grain,  but  I  think  they  ought 
to  form  a  separate  feed.  They  diminish  the  con- 
sumption of  both  hay  and  grain.  Some  tell  me  that 
six,  others  that  eight  pounds  of  caiTOts,  are  equal  to 
four  pounds  of  oats.  But  the  calculation  cannot  be 
much  depended  upon,  for  the  horse  may  eat  more 
or  less  hay  without  the  difference  being  observed. 
According  to  Curwen,  a  work-horse  getting  from 
eight  to  twelve  pounds  of  grain,  may  have  four  pounds 
deducted  for  every  five  he  receives  of  carrots.  Foi 
fast- working  horses,  carrots  never  entirely  supersede 
grain.  Mention  is  made,  indeed,  of  an  Essex  sports- 
man who  gave  his  hunters  each  a-bushel  of  carrots 
daily  with  a  little  hay,  but  no  grain  ;  the  horses  are 
said  to  have  followed  a  pack  of  harriers  twice  a 
week,  but  the  possibility  of  doing  this  needs  furthe ' 
proof.  For  slow- working  horses,  carrots  may  supply 
the  place  of  grain  quite  well,  at  least  for  those  em- 
ployed on  the  farm.  Buitows,  an  English  agricul- 
turist, gave  his  farm-horses  each  seventy  pounds  of 
carrots  per  day,  along  with  chaff  and  barn-door  re- 
fuse, with  which  the  carrots  were  sliced  and  mixed. 
He  gave  a  little  rack-hay  at  night,  but  no  grain.  He 
fed  bis  horses  in  this*  way  from  the  end  of  October 


THE  HORSE.  87 

to  the  beginning  of  June,  giving  a  little  less  than 
oeventy  pounds  in  the  very  shortest  days,  and  a  little 
more  in  the  spring.  The  tops  of  the  carrots  have 
been  given  to  horses,  and  it  is  said  they  were  much 
liked  and  quite  wholesome. 

PARSNIPS. 

This  root  is  used  a  good  deal  in  France ;  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Brest,  parsnips  and  cabbages  are 
boiled  together  and  given  to  the  horses  warm,  along 
with  some  buckwheat  flour.  In  the  island  of  Jersey 
the  root  is  much  cultivated,  and  is  extensively  used 
for  fattening  stock,  and  for  the  table  of  all  classes. 
It  is  said  not  to  be  generally  given  to  horses,  for  it 
is  alleged  that  their  eyes  suffer  under  its  use.  Arthur 
Young,  however,  assures  us,  that  the  horses  about 
Morlaix  are  ordinarily  fed  upon  parsnips,  and  that 
they  are  considered  "  the  best  of  all  foods  for  a  horse, 
and.  much  exceeding  oats."  They  are  eaten  both 
raw  and  boiled.  They  are  most  usually  washed, 
sliced,  and  mixed  with  bran  or  chaff.  The  leaves, 
mown  while  in  good  condition,  are  eaten  as  readily 
as  clover. 

Mangel-wurzel,  Yams  and  the  Turnip  Cahbage, 
have  each  been  employed  as  food  for  horses,  but  I 
have  not  been  able  to  learn  with  what  effect.  • 

GRAIN. 

In  this  country  the  grain  consists  chiefly  of  oats, 
beans  and  peas,  but  barley  is  now  in  very  common 
use,  and  wheat  is  occasionally  given.  The  last  two 
articles,  however,  are  rarely  used  to  the  exclusion 
of  oats,  but  are  generally  mixed  with  them  in  cer- 
tain proportions.  Rye,  buckwheat  and  maize,  are 
used  as  grain  in  various  parts  of  the  world,  but  very 
little  or  not  at  all  in  this. 


88  The  horse. 


OATS. 


There  are  several  varieties  which  need  not  be  de 
scribed. 

Good  Oats  are  about  one  year  old,  plump,  short, 
hard,  rattling  w^hen  poured  into  the  manger,  sweet, 
clean,  free  from  chaff  and  dust,  and  weighing  about 
forty  pounds  per  bushel. 

New  Oats  are  slightly  purgative,  indigestible  and 
unprofitable.  They  seem  to  resist  the  action  of  the 
stomach,  and  to  retain  their  nutriment.  They  make 
the  horse  soft;  he  sweats  soon  and  much  at  work. 
If  they  must  be  used  when  under  three  or  four 
months  old,  they  may  be  improved  by  kiln-drying. 
They  are  not  good,  however,  till  they  are  about  a 
year  old.  They  may  be  kept  till  too  old,  when  they 
become  musty  and  full  of  insects.  The  period  at 
which  oats  begin  to  degenerate  depends  so  much 
upon  the  manner  in  which  they  are  harvested  and 
preserved,  that  the  age  alone  affords  no  rule  for  re- 
jecting them.  They  can  be  kept  in  good  condition 
for  several  years. 

Oats  are  sometimes  given  in  the  straw,  either  cut 
or  uncut.  The  cost  of  thrashing  is  saved,  but  that 
is  no  great  gain.  It  cannot  be  known  how  much  the 
horse  gets.  One  may  be  cheated  altogether  out  of 
a  meal,  and  another  may  be  surfeited.  There  is  al- 
ways some  waste,  for  the  horse  must  be  getting  very 
little  grain  if  he  eat  all  the  straw  he  gets  along  with 
it,  and  if  he  get  more,  some  of  the  grain  is  left  in 
the  straw. 

The  Daily  Allowance  of  oats  is  very  variable.  Hunt- 
ers and  racers  receive  almost  as  much  as  they  will 
eat  during  the  season  of  work.  The  quantity  for 
these  horses  varies  from  twelve  to  sixteen  or  eigh- 
teen pounds  per  day.  Stage  and  mail  horses  get 
about  the  same  allowance.     Some  will  not  consume 


my.  noRsjK.  89 

above  fourteen  pounds ;  others  will  manage  nearly 
eighteen.  In  most  stables  some  other  grain  is  used. 
For  every  pound  of  barley  or  beans  that  may  be 
given,  rather  more  than  an  equal  weight  is  taken  off 
the  ordinary  allowance  of  oats.  Saddle-horses  re- 
ceive about  twelve  pounds  of  oats,  cart-horses  from 
ten  to  fourteen.  Those  employed  on  the  farm  get 
from  four  to  twelve  pounds.  The  ordinary  feeding- 
measure  in  Scotland,  termed  a  lippy,  holds  from 
three  to  four  pounds  of  heavy  oats. 

Suhstitzites  for  Oats  have  been  frequently  sought. 
Many  experiments  have  been  made  to  ascertain  how 
far  their  use  might  be  dispensed  with.  Roots  and 
bread  have  both  been  tried,  and  the  results  have 
shown  that  horses  of  moderate  work,  or  even  labo- 
rious work  at  a  slow  pace,  can  be  kept  in  good  condi- 
tion on  carrots  or  potatoes,  with  some  fodder  and  no 
grain.  The  bread  has  been  made  from  grain,  but  it 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  productive  of  any  eco- 
nomy. Barley,  beans,  peas  and  wheat,  are  partial 
substitutes  for  oats.  They  may  form  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  grain  ;  and  in  Spain  barley  forms  the 
whole  of  it.  But  in  this  country  oats  are  in  gene- 
ral as  cheap  as  any  of  the  other  kinds  of  grain.  It 
has  been  alleged  that  oats  contain  some  aromatic, 
invigorating  property,  not  possessed  by  other  articles  ; 
and  it  does  appear  that  horses  fed  on  roots  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  grain,  are  not  so  gay  as  grain-fed  horses. 
But  whether  oats,  in  equal  weight,  give  the  horse 
more  animation  than  other  kinds  of  grain,  is  not 
known  with  certainty,  although  common  opinion  is 
in  their  favour. 

Gruel  is  made  from  oat-meal.  It  is  very  useful 
for  sick  horses  :  and  after  a  day  of  severe  exertion, 
when  the  horse  will  not  take  solid  food,  gruel  is  the 
best  thinof  he  can  have.  Few  stablemen  are  able  to 
make  it  properly.  The  meal  is  never  sufficiently  in- 
corporated with  the  water.     One  gallon  of  good  gruel 

8* 


00  THE   HORSE. 

may  be  made  from  a  pound  of  meal,  which  should  be 
thrown  into  cold  water,  set  on  the  fire  and  stirred  till 
boiling,  and  afterward  permitted  to  simmer  over  a 
gentle  lire  till  the  water  is  quite  .thick.  It  is  not 
gruel  at  all  if  tlie  meal  subside  and  leave  the  water 
transparent. 

WHEAT. 

There  is  a  general  prejudice  against  wheat  as 
horse-grain,  especially  in  its  raw  state.  It  is  sup- 
posed to  be  poisonous  ;  and  without  doubt  many 
horses  have  been  destroyed  by  it.  Horses  eat  it  very 
greedily,  and  are  almost  sure  to  eat  too  much,  when 
permitted.  Fermentation,  colic  and  death,  are  the 
consequences  ;  but  these  are  easily  avoided.  The 
grain  seems  difficult  to  masticate  and  also  difficult  to 
digest,  and  colic  may  be  produced  more  readily  by 
one  measure  of  wheat  than  by  two  of  oats. 

Wheaten  Bread,  either  brown  or  white,  is  much 
-elished  by  nearly  all  horses.  Occasionally  it  may 
DO  given  to  a  horse  that  has  been  tired  off  his  appetite, 
or  to  an  invalid.  It  should  never  be  less  than  twen- 
ty-four hours'  old,  and  it  should  be  given  only  in 
small  quantity.  Bakers  sometimes  give  their  horses 
a  good  deal  of  it ;  but  it  ought  to  be  mixed  with 
chaff.  Some  will  not  eat  it  till  it  is  mashed  by  pour- 
ing boiling  water  over  it. 

BUCKWHEAT 

Is  used  on  the  Continent,  and  the  Horses  are  said 
to  thrive  on  it.  Young  says  that  a  bushel  goes  far- 
ther than  two  of  oats,  and  that,  mixed  with  at  least 
four  times  as  much  bran,  one  bushel  will  be  full  feed 
for  any  horse  for  a  week.  The  author  of  the  Farm- 
er's Calendar  thinks  he  has  seen  it  produce  a  stupi- 
fying  effect;  and  Bracy  Clarke  says  it  appeared  to 


THE  HORSE. 


91 


him  to  be  very  laxative.  In  Holland,  and  many 
parts  of  Germany  and  Norway,  it  is  made  into  a 
black  bread,  v^ith  which  the  horses  are  fed. 


INDIAN  CORN 


Is  much  used  as  a  horse-food  in  this  country,  and 
in  various  parts  of  Europe.  Cobbett  recommended 
its  introduction,  and  among  its  other  uses,  spoke  of 
horse-feeding. 


RYE 


Is  used  in  Germany,  but  generally  in  the  shape  of 
bread  made  from  the  whole  flour  and  bran ;  and  it 
is  not  unusual,  in  travelling  through  some  parts  of 
that  country,  and  of  Holland,  to  see  the  postillions 
help  themselves  and  their  horses  from  the  same 
loaf.* 

BEANS 

There  are  several  varieties  of  the  bean  in  use  asr 
horse-food,  but  I  do  not  know  that  one  is  better  than 
another.  The  small  plump  bean  is  preferred  to  the 
large  shrivelled  kind.  Whichever  be  used,  the  beans 
should  be  old,  sweet  and  sound.  New  beans  are  in- 
dio-estible  and  flatulent ;  they  produce  cohc,  and 
founder  very  readily.  They  should  be  at  least  a 
year  old.  Beans  are  often  ill-harvested  ;  and  when 
musty  or  mouldy,  though  quite  sweet  internally, 
horses  do  not  like  them.  They  are  often  attacked 
by  an  insect  which  consumes  much  of  the  flour,  and 
destroys  the  vitality  of  the  rest.  The  ravages  of  the 
insect  are  plain  enough.  The  bean  is  excavated, 
light,  brittle,  and  bitter  tasted.  A  few  m  this  state 
may  do  no  harm;  but  when  the  beans  are  generally 
infected,  it  is  not  likely  that  they  are  eaten  with  im^ 
»  British  Husbandr)-,,  vol.  i.,  p.  146. 


92  THE   HOR9K 

p unity,  and  very  often  the  horse  lefuses  them  alto 
gether.     Damp,  musty,  ill-kept  beans,  though  old, 
are  as  flatulent  as  those  which  are  new.     All  kinds 
are  constipating. 

PEAS 

Are.seldom  used  without  beans,  with  which  they  are 
mixed  in  large  or  small  quantities.  They  may  be 
given  without  either  beans  or  other  grain,  but  much 
care  is  necessary  to  inure  the  horse  to  them.  Peas 
seem  to  be  very  indigestible,  more  so  than  beans, 
and  perhaps  as  much  so  as  wheat ;  but  when  given, 
very  sparingly  at  first,  they  may  be  used  with  perfect 
safety.  It  is  often  said  that  peas  swell  so  much  in 
the  stomach  as  to  burst  it.  This  is  an  error.  Peas 
do  absorb  much  water,  and  swell  more  perhaps  than 
beans,  but  they  never  swell  so  much  as  to  burst  the 
stomach,  for  the  horse  cannot  or  will  not  eat  such  a 
large  quantity.  When  the  stomach  is  bui-st,  it  is  from 
fermentation,  not  from  swelling  of  the  peas.  All  kinds 
of  food  will  produce  the  same  result  when  the  horse  is 
permitted  to  gorge  himself,  or  when  he  is  fed  in  full 
measure  upon  food  that  he  has  not  been  accustomed 
to  ;  but  peas  seem  to  be  rather  more  apt  to  ferment 
than  some  other  kinds  of  grain. 

LINSEED, 

In  small  quantities,  either  whole  or  ground,  raw  or 
boiled,  is  sometimes  given  to  sick  horses.  It  is  too 
nutritious  for  a  fevered  horse,  but  is  very  useful  foi 
a  cough,  and  it  makes  the  skin  loose  and  the  coat 
glossy.  Half  a  pint  may  be  mixed  with  the  usual 
feed  every  night.  For  a  cough  it  should  be  boiled, 
and  given  in  a  bran  mash,  to  which  two  or  three 
ounces  of  coarse  sugar  may  be  added. 


THE  HORSE. 


OIL  CAKE, 


OS 


Grouncl,  and  given  in  the  boiled  food,  when  not  very 
rich,  consisting  chiefly  or  entirely  of  roots,  is  much 
stronger  than  bran,  and  stronger,  perhaps,  than  oat- 
meal seeds.  Two  to  four  pounds  per  day  is  the  usual 
allowance.  It  makes  the  hair  glossy.  Horses  seem 
to  tire  of  it  soon,  but  the  farmer  will  find  it  useful 
for  helping  his  horses  through  the  winter. 

*'  FRUIT, 

As  pumpkins,  apples,  &c.,  and  sweet  potatoes  in 
America,  figs  and  chestnuts  in  Spain  and  Italy,  ap- 
ples in  some  parts  of  France,  and  numerous  other 
fructified  exotics,  are  occasionally  employed  as  food 
for  horses."*  Horse  Chestnuts,  it  is  said,  "  would 
probably  form  a  valuable  article  of  medicinal  food 
for  horses.  In  Turkey  the  nuts  are  ground,  and 
mixed  with  other  food ;  and  they  are  regarded  as  a 
remedy  for  broken  wind,  and  serviceable  to  horses 
troubled  with  coughs."t  Haws,  the  fruit  of  the 
hawthorn,  have  been  employed  by  West,  of  Hamp- 
shire, as  an  article  of'food  for  farm-horses,  with  what 
profit  I  have  not  learned.  "  The  people  of  Medjid 
feed  their  horses  regularly  on  dates.  At  Deyrach, 
in  the  country  of  the  Flasaae,  dates  are  mixed  with 
the  clover.  Barley,  however,  is  the  most  usual  food 
in  all  parts  of  Arabia."| 

Marc's  Milk. — For  the  first  six  months  of  the 
young  horse's  life,  his  principal  food  is  mare's  milk. 
He  begins  to  eat  much  sooner,  but  few  are  entirely 
weaned  before  this  time.     Farm  mares  are  usually 

*  Blaine's  Vet.  Outlines,  p.  94.     London,  1832. 
t  Comp.  Grazier,  p.  529.     1833. 

X  Past  and  Present  State  of  the  English  Racers.  Hookham, 
1836. 


04  THE  HORSE. 

put  to  gentle  work  two  or  three  weeks  aftei  parturi- 
tion. Her  work  should  be  moderate,  and  her  diet 
substantial.  She  is  often  treated  as  if  work  could 
have  no  influence  on  her  milk.  When  she  has  much 
to  do,  the  milk  is  neither  good  nor  abundant,  and 
the  foal  is  half-starved.  The  foal  is  sometimes  per- 
mitted to  follow  his  dam  to  the  field,  where  he  may 
occasionally  suckle  her.  This  renders  the  foal  fami- 
liar, and  at  an  early  age  reconciles  him  to  subjec- 
tion, and  prevents  engorgement  of  the  udder.  Bad 
weather,  or  the  nature  of  the  mare's  work,  may  for- 
bid the  practice.  When  the  mare  comes  home,  the 
foal  is  put  to  suck  her.  In  some  places,  the  milk  is 
previously  stripped  on  to  the  ground,  and  the  udder 
bathed  with  cold  w^al  er,  or  vinegar  and  water.  This 
is  not  necessary.  It  is  supposed  that  the  milk  is  in- 
jured and  pernicious  when  the  mare  is  overheated ; 
but,  in  the  first  place,  her  work  should  never  be  so 
severe  as  to  overheat  her  ;  and,  in  the  second,  the 
milk  is  not  apparently  altered  when  she  is.  Hard 
work  will  diminish  the  quantity  of  milk,  and  render 
it  less  nutritious,  but  it  will  do  no  more.  If  the  foal 
be  withheld  till  the  udder  be  gorged  and  distended, 
a  little  inflammation  will  take  place,  and  the  milk 
will  be  bad.  In  such  cases  it  is  proper  to  draw  off 
a  portion  before  the  foal  is  put  to  it;  and  it  may  also 
be  proper  to  bathe  the  udder  with  cold  water.  But 
to  empty  it  or  to  bathe  it  merely  because  the  rnare 
has  been  perspiring,  is  absurd  ;  and  to  neglect  both 
mare  and  foal  till  the  udder  needs  such  treatment, 
betrays  very  bad  management. 

Sometimes  a  mare,  especially  with  her  first  foal, 
will  not  permit  sucking.  She  requires  to  be  held, 
to  have  the  udder  rubbed  with  the  hand  and  strip- 
ped. Hold  her  by  the  head  and  keep  her  steady  till 
the  foal  is  satisfied.  Do  so  five  or  six  times  a  day. 
On  the  third  day,  or  thereabouts,  she  usually  begins 
to  perform  her  duty  without  interference.     In  gene 


THE  HORSE.  95 

ral  the  mare  is  merely  restless;  she  will  not  stand 
quiet  till  the  foal  suckles  her ;  but  sometimes  she  is 
ill-natured  or  vicious.  If  she  strike  at  the  foal, 
threaten  her  with  the  lash,  and  hold  up  one  of  her 
fore  feet.  If  she  continue  obstinate  and  resists  the 
repeated  efforts  of  the  foal  so  long  that  he  is  likely 
to  get  exhausted,  put  the  twitch  on  the  mare's  nose. 
But,  if  possible,  she  must  be  managed  without  this, 
and  every  time  the  foal  is  to  suckle  her,  she  must 
be  patiently  tried  before  applying  the  twitch.  It  is 
not  good  to  meddle  with  the  foal  by  way  of  assisting 
or  directing  him  to  the  udder.  He  may  be  very 
awkward,  but  he  soon  learns.  It  is  sufficient  to 
control  the  mare,  and  this  often  requires  a  great  deal 
of  patience  and  perseverance.  After  the  foal  has 
been  permitted  to  suckle  her,  she  is  reconciled  to  it 
in  a  day  or  two,  and  may  afterward  prove  a  very 
good  nurse.  Confinement  in  a  dark  loose  box 
sometimes  renders  her  kinder. 

Unless  the  mare  be  very  obstinate,  or  the  foal 
very  weak  and  awkward,  no  cow's  milk  should  be 
given  to  it.  If  its  hunger  be  appeased  by  drink,  it 
will  make  no  attempt  to  suckle,  and  it  is  only  by 
constantly  persevering  with  the  mother  that  she  can 
be  brought  to  her  duty. 


^<^ 


APPENDIX. 


DISEASES,  AND  THEIR  TREATMENT. 

A  COLD. 

Thi3  is  such  a  common  disease,  that  many  people  look 
upon  it  with  indifference ;  but  there  are  few  disorders  inci- 
dent to  horses,  which  do  not  more  or  less  derive  their  origin 
from  a  Cold.  But,  as  only  those  who  are  used  to  horses, 
can  tell  when  they  have  got  this  disease,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  describe  the  nature  of  a  cold,  and  the  usual  symptoms 
that  attend  it. 

Causes  of  Colds.  These  are  various ;  but  the  most 
usual  are,  riding  the  horse  till  he  is  hot,  and  then  suffering 
him  to  stand  still,  exposed  to  the  cold  air ;  removing  him 
from  a  hot  stable  to  a  cold  one :  (if  the  horse  have  been 
high-fed,  and  clothed,  the  cold  contracted  in  this  manner 
often  proves  very  violent ;  and  this  is  the  reason  why  horses 
often  catch  a  severe  cold  on  their  first  coming  out  of  the 
dealer's  hands  :)  neglecting  to  rub  him  properly  down,  and 
to  rub  the  sweat  carefully  off  when  he  comes  in  from  a 
journey. 

Symptoms.  When  a  horse  has  caught  cold,  a  cough 
will  follow,  and  he  will  be  heavy  and  dull  in  proportion  to 
the  severity  of  the  disease  :  his  eyes  will  be  wateiy ;  the 
kernels  about  his  ears,  and  under  his  jaws,  will  swell,  and  a 
thin  mucous  gleet  will  run  from  his  nose.  If  the  cold  be 
violent,  the  horse  will  be  feverish ;  his  flanks  will  heave, 
and  he  will  refuse  his  food.  The  owner  should  be  very 
careful  to  obsei've  these  last  symptoms ;  because,  when  they 
appear,  and  are  attended  with  a  slimy  mouth,  cold  ears 
and  feet,  moist  eyes,  and  a  great  inward  soreness,  there  is 
danger  of  a  fever,  and  genei-ally  of  a  malignant  kind.  But 
when  the  hor^e  coughs  stronsjly.  and  snorts  aft<^r  it.  cats 


98  THE    HORSB. 

scalded  bran,  and  drinks  warm  water,  is  not  much  off  his 
stomach,  moves  briskly  in  his  stall,  dungs  and  stales  freely, 
and  without  pain,  his  skin  feels  kindly,  and  his  coat  does  not 
stare,  there  is  no  danger,  nor  any  occasion  for  medicine. 
You  should,  however,  bleed  him,  keep  him  warm,  give 
him  some  feeds  of  scalded  bran,  and  let  him  drink  warm 
water. 

The  Cure.  If  the  horse  feel  hot,  and  refuse  his  meat, 
it  will  be  necessary  to  bleed  him  plentifully,  and  to  give 
the  following  drink ; 

2  oz.  of  Ball  of  Liquorice, 
2  do.  Salt  of  Tartar, 
2  drams  of  Saffron, 
2  ounces  of  Honey. 

Cut  the  ball  small,  dissolve  all  together  in  hot  water, 
and  give  it  nearly  cold.  This  drink  may  be  repeated  as 
occasion  requires,  but  let  twenty-four  hours  elapse  first* 
Or  give — 

4  oz.  c^  Aniseeds. 
2  do.  Liquorice  Root, 
1  do.  Gum  Scammouy 
1  do.  Nitre. 

Boil  these  together  in  three  pints  of  water,  for  ten  or 
twelve  minutes ;  strain  the  liq:Uor  through  a  cloth  ;  and  add- 
tw^o  ounces  of  honey  to  it  v/hen  you  give  it  to  the  horse. 

It  is  a  common  practice  with  Farriers  to  give  a  drench 
composed  of  hot,  nauseous  powders,  m  a  quantity  of  ale , 
but  this  is  a  ver^'  bad  practice,  for  it  heats  the  blood,  and 
consequently  increases  the  fever;  and  at  the  same  time  the 
powders  pall  the  horse's  ston>ach  by  their  loathsomeness. 
The  following  ball,  commonly  called  The  Cordial  Ball,  is 
the  best  one  yet  found  out  for  coughs  or  colds,  ei Aer  in 
horse  or  man,  and  is  much  preferable  to  the  horse-balls 
commonly  sold  at  the  druggists'  shops,  and  too  often  made 
of  bad  ingredients.  Be  careful  to  get  your  drugs  good,  for 
this  ball  is  of  great  worth  in  many  disorders,  both  in  racers, 
hunters,  and  i-oad-horses.  Few  things  will  remove  a  cough 
or  k  cold,  or  clear  a  horse's  wind,  sooner  or  better.  Mr. 
Markhain  recommended  one  something  like  it,  which  is. 
called  Markham's  Ball ;  but  you  may  depend  on  it,  thpt 
mine  much  exceeds  it  in  value. 


THE    HORSE.  99 

Take  of  Aniseeds  Powder,  Fenugreek,  Liquorice  Powder, 
Elecampane  Powder,  Flour  of  Brimstone,  each  4  ounces ; 
Grains  of  Paradise,  in  fine  powder,  6  ounces;  4  ounces  of 
Liquorice,  cut  small,  and  dissolved  in  White  Wine ;  1  ounce 
of  Saffron,  pounded  small ;  1  ounce  of  Oil  of  Aniseeds ;  8 
ounces  of  Olive  Oil ;  and  8  ounces  of  Honey. 

Bray  them  all  well  together,  till  they  come  into  paste ; 
and  if  they  should  be  too  dry,  add  a  little  more  olive  oil  and 
honey.  The  dose  is  about  two  ounces,  and  may  be  given 
three  or  four  times  a  day,  if  needful.  These  balls  consist- 
ing of  warm,  opening  ingredients,  are  of  gi-eat  use ;  and 
given  in  small  quantities,  about  the  size  of  a  pullet's  egg, 
will  encourage  a  free  perspiration ;  but  in  case  of  a  Fever, 
they  should  be  given  with  the  greatest  caution. 

It  will  be  of  great  use  to  put  scalding-hot  bran  into  the 
manger,  that  the  horse  may  hold  his  head  over  it,  and 
receive  the  steam  up  his  nostrils,  which  will  cause  a  run- 
ning from  them,  and  relieve  him  very  much.  I  have  known 
asarabacca,  dried  and  rubbed  to  powder,  and  blown  up  th«^ 
nostrils,  to  cause  a  discharge ;  for  when  a  horse  has  cauglit 
a  violent  cold,  he  is  often  troubled  with  a  pain  in  his  head, 
which  a  good  discharge  at  the  nose  is  very  likely  to  cure. 
For  the  same  purpose  the  horse  should  be  warmly  clothed, 
especially  about  the  head,  neck  and  throat,  as  it  has  a  ten- 
dency to  promote  a  running  at  the  nostrils. 

By  this  simple  method,  with  proper  care,  hot  mashes, 
and  warm  water,  most  colds  may  be  cured ;  and  as  soon  as 
the  horse  begins  to  feed  heartily,  and  snorts  after  coughing, 
an  hour's  exercise  eveiy  day,  will  greatly  hasten  the  cure. 
If  the  legs  swell,  and  the  horse  be  full  of  flesh,  rowels  are 
necessary. 

A  COUGH,  AND   ASTHMA. 

Causes.  The  causes  are  various.  Sometimes  it  is  owing 
to  colds  imperfectly  cured ;  sometimes  to  pleurisies,  or 
malignant  fevers,  which  have  left  a  taint  upon  the  lungs  or 
other  vessels ;  sometimes  to  small  eruptions  in  the  glands, 
which  cause  the  lungs  to  be  much  larger  than  they  ought 
to  be,  and  a  quantity  of  phlegm,  and  mucilaginous  juices, 
to  stuff  up  the  glands  and  branches  of  the  wind-pipe  ;  and 
somAtiraes  to  fleshy  substances  engendered  in  the  large 


100  THE    HORSB* 

blood-vessels ;  for  all  these  things  hinder  a  free" respiration, 
and  excite  a  cough. 

Cure.  If  the  horse  be  full  of  flesh,  take  from  him  a 
moderate  quantity  of  blood.  The  next  day  give  him  scalded 
bran,  and  in  the  evening,  the  following  ball : 

1  oz.  of  Powder  of  Aniseeds, 

1  do.  Liquorice  Powder, 

1  dram  of  Calomel,  8  drama  to  an  oimce. 

"Work  them  into  a  ball  with  Barbadoes  tar.  Give  this 
ball  the  last  thing  at  night,  and  be  careful  to  keep  the  horse 
out  of  wet,  and  from  cold  water  the  next  day.  On  the 
second  morning,  give  the  following  purge  : 

1  oz.  of  Barbadoes  Aloes, 
1  do.  Casti)«  Soap, 
^  do.  Powdered  Ginger, 
1  dram  Oil  of  Aniseeds. 

Bray  them  together  in  a  mortar,  with  a  little  syrup  of 
buckthorn,  to  make  them  into  a  ball,  which  is  to  be  given  in 
the  morning  ;  and  plenty  of  warm  water,  and  walking  exer- 
cise, till  it  be  wrought  off.  (It  will  not  work  the  first  day.) 
In  three  days  after,  give  six  ounces  of  the  cordial  ball  in  a 
little  warm  ale,  fasting,  and  to  fast  two  hours  after.  Repeat 
the  calomel  ball,  physic,  and  cordial  ball,  six  days  after,  in 
the  same  manner  as  before.  Let  the  horse's  hay  be  sweet, 
and  his  manger-meat  scalded  bran,  with  a  spoonful  of  honey 
in  each  feed  : — let  him  have  walking  exercise  in  the  open 
air,  but  be  careful  of  wet  and  of  cold  water. 

When  this  course  has  been  pursued  two  or  three  times, 
give  two  or  three  ounces  of  the  cordial  ball  every  morning. 
The  above  method  will  remove  most  coughs,  but  if  it  fail, 
tiy  the  following  : 

1  oz.  of  Gum  Ammoniacum,  in  fine  powder, 
^  do.  Gam  Galbanum,  in  powder, 

2  drams  of  SaiFron,  brayed, 

2      do     Assafoetida,  in  powder. 

Work  them  up  with  honey,  or  Barbadoes  tar,  into  one  ball ; 
roll  it  in  liquorice  powder,  and  give  it  fasting,  and  to  fast  two 
hours  after.  This  ball  must  be  given  every  morning,  for 
six  or  seven  times,  before  it  can  have  a  fair  trial ;  but  if  the 
horse  be  not  a  good  one,  it  will  be  thought  too  expensive. 
In  the  cure  of  this  disease,  the  diet  should  be  very  mode- 


THE    HORSE.  101 

rate,  the  usual  quantity  of  hay  should  be  abridged,  ano 
sprinkled  with  water,  and  the  usual  allowance  of  corn  and 
water  divided  into  several  portions;  for  with  these  regula- 
tions in  diet,  the  disease  will  soon  be  cured ;  and  where  it 
is  incurable,  the  horse  will  be  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able 
to  do  a  great  deal  of  work. 

It  may  not  be  improper  here  to  add,  that  some  young 
horses  are  subject  to  coughs  when  cutting  their  teeth,  and 
their  eyes  are  also  affected  from  the  same  cause.  In  these 
cases,  always  bleed ;  and  if  the  cough  be  obstinate,  repeat 
it,  and  give  warm  mashes,  which  are  often  sufficient  alone 
to  remove  the  complaint. 

When  young  horses  have  a  cough  that  is  caused  by 
worms,  as  is  often  the  case,  such  medicines  must  be  given 
as  are  proper  to  destroy  those  vermin,  of  which  I  shall 
inform  you  in  the  chapter  on  worms. 

THE    COLIC,  OR    GRIPES. 

This  disorder  is  little  understood  by  common  Farriers, 
and  has  for  a  long  time  been  a  secret  to  many ;  so  that 
many  a  horse  has  been  lost  in  it,  that  might  have  been 
saved.  The  same  medicines  have  generally  been  given  to 
horses  in  the  Colic,  as  in  the  diy  gripes,  when  there  is 
much  difference  in  the  disorders. 

The  Colic  proceeds  from  various  causes,  therefore  the 
method  of  cure  varies  ;  for  otherwise  the  medicines  inten- 
ded to  cure  it  may  increase  it,  and  render  it  fatnl.  We 
shall,  therefore,  divide  this  disorder  into  three  different 
species,  and  endeavor  to  give  such  plain  directions  for  man- 
aging each,  as  cannot  fail  to  prove  very  beneficial.  The 
three  species  are  these  : 

1.  The  Flatulent,  or  Windy  Colic. 

2.  The  Bilious,  or  Infiammatory  Colic. 
8.   The  Dry  Gripes. 

THE    FLATULENT,   OR    WINDY    COLIC. 

Symptoms.  The  horse  is  very  restless,  lying  down, 
and  starting  up  again.  He  strikes  his  belly  with  his  hind- 
feet,  stamps  with  his  fore-feet,  and  refuses  his  meat. 
When  the  pain  is  violent,  he  has  convulsive  twitches ;  hiis 
eyes  are  turned  up,  and  his  limbs  stretched  out,  as  if  dying, 
9* 


102  THE  iioRhE. 

Rnd  his  ears  and  feet  are  altevnately  cold ;  he  falls  into  profiise 
8weats,  and  then  into  cold  damps ;  often  ti-ies  to  stale,  and 
turns  his  head  frequently  to  his  flanks  ;  he  then  falls  down, 
rolls  about,  and  often  turns  on  his  back.  This  last  symp- 
tona  proceeds  from  a  stoppage  of  urine,  which  generally 
attends  this  species  of  colic,  and  may  be  increased  by  a 
load  of  dung  pressing  on  the  neck  of  the  bladder. 

Causes.  This  disease  often  proceeds  from  catching  cold 
by  drinking  cold  water  when  hot,  and  the  perspirable  mat- 
ter is  by  that  means  thrown  upon  the  bowels,  which  causes 
them  to  distend  violently,  and  sometimes  brings  on  an 
inflammation  in  the  small  intestines,  when  the  body  begins 
to  swell,  and  the  cure  is  despaired  of. 

Cure.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  empty  the  straight 
gut,  with  a  small  hand,  dipped  in  oil.  This  frequently  gives 
room  for  the  wind,  before  confined  in  the  bowels,  to  dis- 
charge itself;  and,  by  taking  off  the  weight  that  pressed 
upon  the  neck  of  the  bladder,  the  suppression  of  m'ine  is 
removed,  upon  which  the  liorse  immediately  stales,  and 
becomes  much  easier.  If  the  horse  be  young,  and  full  of 
blood,  it  will  be  proper  to  take  a  sufficient  quantity  of  blood 
from  the  neck. 

When  these  purgative  operations  have  been  performed, 
the  following  may  be  given,  as  it  seldom  fails  to  give  relief; 

4  oz.  of  Tincture  of  Senna,  or  Daffy's  Elixir, 

6  drams  of  Tincture  of  Opium, 

1  dram  of  Oil  of  Juniper, 

8  oz.  of  Juniper  Berries,  bruised. 

Put  one  quart  of  boiling  water  on  the  juniper  berries, 
let  them  stand  a  few  minutes,  strain  it  off,  put  all  together, 
and  give  them  to  the  horse. 

If  he  does  not  find  relief  soon  after  taking  this  dose, 
both  by  staling  and  breaking  wind,  it  is  doubtful  whether 
he  will  receive  any  benefit  from  it ;  so  you  must  prepare 
the  following  clyster  for  him  as  soon  as  you  can.     Take — 

Camomile  Flowers,  4  ounces;  Aniseeds,  Fennel,  Coriander,  2 
ounces  of  each.  Boil  them  in  1  quart  of  water,  and  add  2 
oz.  of  Castile  Soap,  cut  small,  while  the  water  is  hot,  that  the 
soap  may  dissolve.     Give  it  blood  wann. 

During  the  fit,  the  horse  may  be  walked  about,  or  trotted 
a  little,  but  should  by  no  means  be  harassed,  or  driven 
about  till  he  is  jaded.     If  no  better,  g^ve  the  followmg : 


Tllii    HORSE.  108 

2  drams  of  Camphor, 

1  dram  of  Pellitory  of  Spain, 

2  oz.  of  Ginger  Powder, 

3  gills  of  Holland  Gin. 

If  the  horse  sweat  much  at  times,  and  then  falls  into  cold 
sweats,  give  fom*  ounces  of  mithridate,  in  three  gills  of 
Holland  gin,  and  repeat  the  clyster.  If  the  disorder  con- 
tinue three  or  four  hours,  give  one  ounce  of  tincture  of 
opium,  in  three  gills  of  Holland  gin.  When  the  horse 
begins  to  recover,  he  will  lie  quiet,  without  starting  and 
trembling ;  and  if  he  continue  in  this  quiet  state  an  hour, 
you  may  conclude  that  the  danger  is  over.  Dress  him 
down  well,  and  give  him  a  small  quantity  of  warm  water, 
if  he  will  drink  it ;  bed  him  down  well,  cover  him  to  keep 
him  warm,  and  then  leave  him  to  get  a  little  rest.  You 
must  consider  that  the  disoi-der  has  left  a  soreness  on  him, 
both  within  and  without ;  therefore  make  him  a  little  gi'uel, 
with  a  pint  of  red  wine  in  it ;  and  if  the  skin  be  knocked 
off  about  the  eyes,  or  his  huck-bones,  rub  it  with  the  bottle 
recommended  for  bruises 

THE    BILIOUS,    OR    INFLAMMATORY    COLIC. 

Symptoms.  This  kind  of  Colic,  besides  most  of  the 
symptoms  of  the  former,  is  attended  with  a  fever,  great 
heat,  panting,  and  dryness  of  the  mouth.  The  horse  also 
generally  parts  with  a  little  loose  dung,  and  a  little  scald- 
ing-hot water ;  which,*  when  it  appears  blackish,  or  reddish, 
indicates  an  approaching  mortification. 

Cure. — Take  three  ounces  of  Senna,  and  one  ounce  of  Salt  of 
Tartar ;  infuse  them  in  one  quart  of  boiling  water  nearly  an 
hour ;  then  strain  it  off,  and  add  two  ounces  of  Lenitive  Elec- 
tuary, and  four  ounces  of  Glauber's  Salts.  Mix  them  when 
hot,  or  they  will  not  dissolve. 

If  the  disorder  be  not  removed  by  the  above  medicine, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  the  fever  and  inflammation  continue  to 
increase,  attended  with  a  discharge  of  flesh-colored  matter, 
the  event  will  probably  be  fatal ;  and  the  only  medicine 
likely  to  prevent  it,  is  a  strong  decoction  of  Jesuit's  bark,  a 
pint  of  which  may  be  given  every  three  hours,  mixed  with 
a  gill  of  red  port  wine  ;  or  you  may  give  one  ounce  of  the 
powder  of  bark  with  the  wine.  Or,  if  these  cannot  be  got 
easily,  give  four  ounces  of  tincture  of  rhubarb  in  three 


104  TH£    HORSK. 

gills  of  red  port  wine.     Also  give  a  clyster  every  two  hoars 
made  of  two  new-laid  eggs,  well  broken,  and  two  ounces 
of  London  or  Venice  treacle,  in  one  quart  of  milk.     Give 
it  warm.     Take — 

1  oz.  of  Rhubarb,  in  Powder, 
^  do.  Jalap,  do. 

AVork  them  up  into  a  ball  with  syrup  of  buckthorn,  and 
give  it  to  the  horse,  with  warm  water  to  work  it  off. 

THE    DRY    GRIPES. 

Symptoms.  This  disorder  mostly  proceeds  from  cos- 
tiveness,  and  is  discovered  by  the  horse's  frequent  and  fruit- 
less attempts  to  dung,  the  blackness  and  hardness  of  the 
dung,  the  frequent  motion  of  his  tail,  the  high  color  of  his 
urine,  and  his  great  uneasiness. 

Cure.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  draw  out  of  the 
fundament,  with  a  small  hand,  as  far  as  you  can  reach,  and 
then  give  the  following : 

4  oz.  of  Castor  Oil, 

4  do.  Tincture  of  Senna, 

^  do.  Oil  of  Juniper. 

Give  them  all  together,  and  then  the  following  clyster : 

Boil  a  handful  of  Marshmaliows  and  Camomile  Flowers  in  a 

quart  of  water,  then  strain  it  off,  and  add  two  ounces  of  T^in- 

seed  Oil,  or  P^e  Oil. 

If  the  horse  do  not  mend,  repeat  both  the  drink  and  the 
clyster.  I>uring  this  disorder,  the  horse  must  not  have  any 
dry  food  ;  but  boiled  linseed,  and  scalded  bran,  with  warm 
water  to  drink.  Gentle  walking  exercise  is  a  great  means 
to  cause  the  physic  to  work ;  but  be  careful  of  cold. 

From  the  account  that  I  have  given  of  the  different  spe- 
cies of  the  Colic,  the  reader  will  be  abundantly  convinced 
how  necessary  it  is  to  be  acquainted  with  each,  that  he 
may  be  able  to  give  proper  medicines,  and  to  relieve  the 
creature's  excruciating  pains.  He  should  cai'efuUy  avoid 
all  hot,  violent  medicines,  which  always  prove  hurtful  in 
every  species  of  this  disorder,  and  frequently  fatal.  Nor  is 
it  any  wonder,  that  horses  treated  in  that  manner,  should 
die ;  for  such  medicines  stimulate  the  neck  of  the  bladder, 
augment  the  heat  of  the  blood,  (before,  much  too  great,) 
and  inflame  the  bowels,  by  which  a  raortiii cation  is  broijght 


THE    HORSK.  106 

ou,  and  the  hoi'se  is  lost  by  the  verj^  means  used  for  his 
recoveiy. 

Sharp  fits  of  the  Gravel,  are  sometimes  taken  for  the 
Colic;  but  should  this  happen,  the  drink  recommended 
for  the  Colic,  will  also  be  proper  for  the  Gravel. 

WORMS   AND    BOTS. 

Much  has  been  said  about  Worms  in  horses,  and  but 
little  understood.  I  have  often  been  astonished  at  grooms, 
farmers,  and  farriers,  not  having  a  better  knowledge  of 
them ;  for  there  are  more  horses  killed  by  these  nauseous 
vermin,  than  by  any  thing  else ;  and  many  are  kept  weakly 
and  low  in  flesh  by  them. 

Symptoms.  The  symptoms  which  indicate  worms,  are 
various  as  the  animals  are  different,  and  seated  in  diffe- 
rent parts  of  the  body.  When  the  Bots  are  seated  in  the 
straight  gut,  they  are  never  dangerous,  but  are  often  thrust 
out  with  the  dung.  They  generally  come  in  the  months 
of  May  and  June,  and  scarcely  ever  continue  in  a  horse 
above  a  fortnight.  But  when  they  breed  in  the  stomach, 
they  often  cause  convulsions,  and  even  death.  The  Bots 
that  breed  in  the  stomach,  are  about  the  size  of  a  large 
maggot,  composed  of  circular  rings,  and  have  little,  sharp, 
prickly  feet  along  the  sides  of  their  bellies,  by  means  of 
which  they  fasten  themselves  to  the  part  from  whence 
they  derive  their  nourishment,  to  prevent  their  being  loosed 
from  such  adhesion  before  they  come  to  maturity ;  and  as 
they  drain  the  coats  of  the  stomach  like  leeches,  it  is  no 
wonder  that  they  often  throw  the  horse  into  convulsions, 
which  terminate  in  death,  unless  the  cause  be  removed. 
The  violent  agonies  of  the  creature  are  the  only  indications 
of  their  existence.  The  other  kinds  of  worms  are  more 
troublesome  than  dangerous,  and  ^re  discovered  by  the 
following  signs :  There  is  a  white  fur  on  the  end  of  the 
straight  gut ;  the  horse  is  lean  and  jaded  ;  his  coat  is  rough 
and  staring ;  and  if  you  rub  your  hand  backward  on  the 
hair,  a  white  scurf  will  rise,  as  if  he  had  been  surfeited ; 
and  though  he  eats  with  a  remarkable  appetite,  he  does  not 
thrive.  He  often  strikes  his  hind-feet  against  his  belly,  and 
is  sometimes  gi*iped,  but  without  the  violent  pains  that 
attend  the  colic,  or  stranguary ;  for  he  never  rolls  or  turn- 


10ft  THE    HORSE. 

bles,  but  is  uneasy,  often  laying  himself  down  quietly  on 
his  belly  for  a  little  while,  and  then  rising  and  beginning  to 
feed.  But  the  surest  symptom  is  when  the  horse  voids  the 
worms  with  his  dung. 

C  URE.  Many  medicines  have  been  given  to  destroy  these 
vermin,  without  knowledge  or  judgment,  and  even  con- 
trary to  common  reason.  Some  give  coarse  sugar  for  that 
purpose,  but,  in  my  opinion  it  will  rather  increase,  than 
destroy  them ;  although  a  few  Avill  fill  themselves  so  full  as 
to  loose  tbieir  hold,  and  to  come  away  with  the  dung.  I 
advise  all  who  have  horses  nearly  eaten  up  with  worms, 
not  to  give  every  foolish  nostrum  that  people  prescribe,  but 
something  that  is  likely  to  destroy  them.     Take — 

1  oz.  of  Socoti-ine  Aloes, 

1  dram  of  Calomel,  8  drams  to  an  oz., 

1  dram  of  Oil  of  Aniseed, 

2  drams  of  Powdered  Ginger, 
^  oz.  of  Syrup  of  Buckthorn. 

Beat  all  up  together  in  a  mortar  till  the  aloes  are  well 
broken,  and  the  whole  is  brought  into  a  paste ;  which  give 
in  the  morning,  fasting,  and  to  fast  one  hour  after ;  also  give 
warm  water,  and  walking  exercise  till  wrought  off.  (It  will 
not  work  the  first  day.)  Be  careful  that  the  horse  be  open 
in  his  body  before  you  give  the  ball.  In  grass  time,  you 
will  have  nothing  more  to  do  than  to  give  it,  and  to  put  the 
horse  where  he  can  get  water.  This  dose  is  for  a  pretty 
strong  horse,  so  you  must  add  or  diminish,  according  to 
size.  This  dose  must  be  repeated  as  need  requires,  but 
not  within  seven  days.  It  will  destroy  most  kinds  of 
worms ;  but  the  hard,  round  worms  require  different 
treatment,  as  they  are  the  worst  of  any  to  get  rid  of.  To 
destroy  them,  give  the  following : 

1  dram  of  Calomel,  8  drams  to  an  oz., 

6  drams  of  Jflap, 

6  drams  of  Rhubarb,  in  powder. 

Wrought  up  into  a  paste  with  conserve  of  hips,  and  two 
days  after,  give  the  above  ball.     Or  the  following : 

1  dram  of  Calomel,  8  drams  to  an  oz., 
1  oz.  of  dried  Foxglove  Leaves,  powdered, 
^  oz.  of  Worm  Seed,  powdered, 
I  oz.  of  Jalap,  in  powder. 


THE    HORSE.  t^t 

To  be  given  in  three  gills  of  malt  liquor  from  the  mash- 
together,  you  may  be  sure  that  most  of  the  vermin  will  be 
tub.  If  the  above  be  given  every  week  for  three  weeks 
expelled.  If  the  medicines  be  given  in  the  house,  let  the 
food  be  light  and  opening,  and  warm  water  for  two  days, 
with  walking  exercise. 

I  advise  all  who  have  horses  troubled  with  worms,  to 
give  savin,  dried  and  powdered,  before  they  give  the  worm 
physic.  If  one  ounce  a  day  be  given  for  a  week  before,  in 
a  mash  of  bran,  it  will  be  much  better.  The  above  ball  is 
good  for  many  disorders  besides  worms. 

THE    STAGGERS. 

This  disease  is  a  grievous  one  indeed.  Farriers  generally 
divide  it  into  two  heads — the  Heart  Staggers,  and  the 
Head  Staggers;  but  they  are  both  one.  It  is  caused  by 
the  liver  making  blood  so  fast,  that  the  cavity  of  the  heart 
is  overloaded,  and  the  blood  flies  up  the  neck  vein  till  the 
head  is  overloaded  too  ;  and  if  relief  cannot  be  obtained, 
the  horse  soon  dies. 

Symptoms.  The  most  common  are  drowsiness,  wateiy, 
and  somewhat  full  and  inflamed  eyes,  a  disposition  to  reel, 
feebleness,  a  bad-  appetite,  the  head  generally  hanging 
down,  or  resting  on  the  manger.  There  is  little  or  no  fever, 
and  the  dung  and  urine  are  very  little  altered.  The  horse 
soon  begins  to  reel,  and  falls  down,  and  sometimes  is  s© 
outrageous  as  to  bite  every  thing  in  his  way. 

Cure.  In  the  first  place,  bleed  him  as  well  as  you  pos- 
sibly can,  by  striking  the  veins  in  several  places  at  once, 
and  taking  away  four  or  five  quarts  at  one  time ;  and,  in 
order  to  raise  up  his  head  and  shoulders,  support  them  with 
plenty  of  sti'aw.  If  he  survive  the  first  fit,  cut  several 
rowels,  give  him  clysters  at  night  and  morning,  made  of 
barley-water  and  a  little  sweet  oil  and  salt ;  and  blow  up 
his  nostrils  a  little  Cayenne  pepper,  or  white  hellebore 
Also  give  him — 

4  drams  of  Bark, 
16  grains  of  Turbeth  Mineral, 
i  oz.  of  Camphor, 

Give  it  in  a  little  warm  ale.  If  the  horse  be  outrageous* 
five  him— 


108  THE    HORSE. 

1  oz.  of  Tincture  of  Opium, 
1  gill  of  Syrup  of  Poppies, 
1  oz.  of  Tiucture  Guaiacum 

Be  careful  not  to  let  hira  knock  his  head,  for  it  will 
increase  the  disorder.  If  he  get  through  the  first  fit,  give 
him  two  ounces  of  crocus  raetallorum  every  day,  to  thin  his 
blood,  for  fear  of  a  relapse.  It  will  be  proper  to  give  him 
the  following  ball  once  a  month,  for  some  time  after  : 

1  oz  of  Rhubarb,  in  powder, 

i  do  of  Jalap, 

1  dram  of  Calomel,  8  drams  to  the  oz. 

To  be  made  into  a  ball  with  syrup  of  buckthorn.  T^ia 
ball  will  be  of  great  use  in  thinning  the  blood,  and  prevent- 
ing a  return  of  the  disorder ;  for  when  a  horse  has  had  one 
fit  of  it,  he  is  very  likely  to  have  another,  if  care  be  not 
taken  to  prevent  it. 

A    COMPOUND    FEVER. 

Symptoms.  The  symptoms  of  this  disease  are — a  slow 
fever,  with  great  depression ;  and  sometimes  inward  heat 
and  outward  cold,  and  at  other  times  heat  all  over,  but  not 
excessive.  The  horse's  eyes  are  moist  and  languid  ;  his 
mouth  is  continually  moist,  so  that  he  is  not  desirous  of 
drinking,  and  when  he  does  drink,  a  very  little  satisfies  him  ; 
he  eats  very  little,  and  moves  his  joints  in  a  loose,  feeble 
manner,  grating  his  teeth  very  disagreeably ;  his  body  ia 
generally  open,  his  dung  soft  and  moist,  and  he  stales  iiTeg- 
ularly,  sometimes  making  Kttle  water,  and  at  others  a  large 
quantity,  which  is  of  a  pale  color,  and  has  veiy  little 
sediment. 

Cure.  In  the  first  place,  take  from  the  horse  a  mode- 
rate quantity  of  blood.  Let  it  not  exceed  three  pints,  but 
repeat  the  operation  according  to  its  strength,  if  there 
be  any  tendency  to  inflammation ;  after  this,  the  nitre 
drink  already  described  may  be  given,  with  the  following 
addition : 

1  oz.  of  Snake  Root, 

3  drams  of  SaflFron, 

3  drams  of  Camphor,  dissolved  in  Spirits  of  Wine. 

The  horse's  diet  should  be  scalded  bran ;  and  linseed, 
boiled,  and  wrought  up  with  bran.     Also  give  him  the  best 


IHK    HOR6£.  109 

hay  by  a  handful  at  a  time.  It  is  often  necessary  to  feed 
him  by  the  hand,  for  sometimes  he  is  not  able  to  lift  his 
head  to  the  rack. 

In  this  disease,  drinking  is  absolutely  necessary  to  thin 
the  blood ;  and  therefore,  if  tlie  horse  refuse  warm  water, 
he  should  be  indulged  with  such  only  as  has  had  the  cold 
taken  off.  This  may  be  done  with  a  hot  iron,  or  by  letting 
it  stand  in  the  pail  in  a  warm  stable  ;  and  this  will  be  bettei 
than  forcing  warm  water  on  the  horse's  stomach.  If  thif 
method  do  not  prove  sufficient,  but  the  fever  shall  continue 
to  increase,  the  following  balls  should  be  given  immediately, 
as  the  danger  augments  every  hour. 

1  oz.  of  Camphor, 
^  do.  Gum  Myrrh, 

1  do.  Squills, 

2  drams  of  Castor. 

Make  them  up  into  two  balls,  and  give  one  at  night,  and 
the  other  in  the  morning.  If  no  better  in  a  short  time,  give 
the  following  infusion : 

1  oz.  of  Snake  Root, 

2  do.  Gentian  Root, 
2  do.  Lemon  Peel, 
2  drams  of  Saffron. 

Boil  these  well  together  in  three  quarts  of  water,  and 
give  a  pint  once  a  day.  If  the  above  ball  fail  of  success, 
give  the  following : 

1  oz.  of  Camphor,  dissolved  in  Spirits  of  Wine, 
1  do.  Sal  Ammoniac, 
1  pint  of  good  Vinegar. 

Put  them  all  together,  and  stir  them  about  till  the  fume 
subside.  This  is  for  two  doses,  to  be  taken  at  twelve  hours' 
distance,  diluted  with  watar.  There  is  not  perhaps  a  more 
powerful  and  effectual  medicine  known  than  camphor  In  all 
kinds  of  putrid  fevers,  it  being  active,  attenuating,  and  par- 
ticularly calculated  to  promote  urine  and  perspiration,  the 
two  principal  outlets  by  which  relief  is  to  be  obtained ;  and 
if  this  medicine  were  more  often  given  than  it  is,  it  would 
be  a  greater  credit  to  the  farrier,  and  give  greater  relief  to 
the  horse. 

If  the  horse  be  costive,  clysters,  or  an  opening  drink, 
should  be  given ;  and  should  he  purge  moderately,  be  care- 
10 


no  THE    HORSE. 

ful  not  to  suppress  it ;  but  if  it  continue  so  long  as  to  enfce 
ble  the  horse,  give  him  a  little  red  port  wine  and  bark. 

Also  observe  to  let  the  animal  drink  plentifully,  for  that 
will  gi'eatly  promote  the  operation  of  the  above-named 
medicines,  as  both  the  disorder  and  the  medicines  will  cause 
a  thirst.  If  the  horse  can  bear  walking  about,  a  little  open 
air  will  be  very  proper,  but  be  careful  to  keep  him  well 
covered. 

Particular  regard  should  also  be  paid  to  his  staling,  which, 
if  it  flow  in  too  gi-eat  quantities,  must  be  repressed  by  proper 
astringents,  and  by  giving  him  lime-water;  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  if  he  stale  so  little  as  to  occasion  a  fulness  or 
swelling  in  his  body  and  legs,  give  him  the  following  drink  • 

1  oz.  of  Nitre, 

2  do.  Castile  Soap, 

1  do.  Venice  Turpentine, 

2  drams  of  oil  of  Juniper. 

Make  them  into  a  ball  with  liquorice  powder,  and  giv'e 
them  at  twice  twenty-four  hours'  distance.  These  balls 
may  be  given  as  occasions  may  require,  and  are  very  proper 
to  convey  off  the  greasy,  slimy  matter  from  the  passage  of 
the  urine,  and  to  settle  swelled  legs. 

These  are  the  best  methods  of  management,  and  will 
generally  prove  successful ;  but  sometimes  art  will  fail,  and 
the  horse  wnll  discharge  a  greenish  or  a  reddish  gleet  from 
his  nostrils,  and  sneeze  very  frequently ;  he  will  continue 
to  lose  his  flesh,  become  hide-bound,  refuse  his  meat,  swell 
about  his  joints,  and  his  eyes  will  appear  fixed  and  dead; 
a  purging  also  ensues,  and  a  dark-colored  foetid  matter  is 
discharged.  When  these  symptoms  appear,  the  case  may 
be  considered  desperate,  and  all  attempts  to  save  the  horse 
will  be  fruitless. 

In  this  disorder  you  must  take  care  not  to  let  the  horse 
eat  too  much,  for  his  diet  should  be  light,  and  in  small  quan- 
tities at  once,  and  increased  gradually  as  he  may  gain 
strength.  When  his  skin  feels  kind,  his  ears  and  feet  con- 
tinue moderately  warm,  his  eyes  look  lively,  his  nose  re- 
mains clean  and  dry,  his  appetite  mends,  he  lies  down  with 
ease,  and  dungs  and  stales  well,  you  may  conclude  that  the 
danger  is  nea  rly  over^  and  that  nothing,  more  is  needful  but 
care  to  complete  the  ,cij3ce.  On  tj^p  Qontrary,^by  ,i)vei*foe4-, 
ing  yoti  will  run  the  risK  oi'  bringing  on  a  bad  surfeit,  aoid 


THE    HOItSE. 

the  Horse  may  be,  according  to  the  old  sayiug, — killed  with 
keeping. 

A    BROKEN    WIND. 

This  disorder  may  sometimes  be  prevented,  but  cannot 
De  cured  ;  and  it  has  hitherto  been  as  little  understood  as 
any  to  which  a  horse  is  subject. 

Symptoms.  The  first  symptom  of  a  Broken  Wind  is  an 
obstinate  dry  cough,  which  is  neither  attended  with  sick- 
ness nor  loss  of  appetite ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  with  a  dis- 
position to  foul  feeding,  eating  the  litter,  and  drinking  large 
quantities  of  water. 

Prevention.  When  a  horse  is  troubled  with  an  obsti- 
nate diy  cough,  and  eats  his  litter,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
bleed  him,  and  to  give  him  the  mercurial  physic  already 
prescribed,  repeating  it  two  or  three  times.  Afterwards 
give  the  following  balls  for  some  time,  which  have  been 
found  of  very  great  service. 

4  oz.  of  Gnm  Ammouiacuni, 

4  do.  Galbanum, 

4  do.  Assafoetida, 

4  do.  Squills, 

^  do.  Saffron, 

6  drams  of  Cinnabar  of  Antimony 

Make  the  whole  up  into  balls  with  honey  and  a  little 
liquorice  powder,  and  give  one  about  the  size  of  a  pul- 
let's egg  every  other  morning.  This  is  a  very  good  ball  for 
a  dry  cough. 

Some  horse-dealers  give  broken-winded  horses  a  quan- 
tity of  shot  when  they  cany  them  into  the  market  for  sale, 
and  I  suppose  it  is  to  draw  the  bowels  from  the  midriff,  so 
that  the  disorder  may  not  be  discoverable ;  but  at  the  sam< 
time  there  is  great  danger  of  killing  the  horse. 

But  it  is  not  enough  to  give  proper  medicines ;  tht 
horse's  diet  should  also  be  carefally  attended  to  at  the  samt 
time,  if  we  would  hope  for  success.  In  order  to  do  this, 
the  horse  should  eat  very  sparingly  of  hay,  which,  as  well 
as  his  corn,  should  be  wetted  with  chamber-lie,  which  is 
much  better  than  water ;  and  in  this  disease  the  horse  is 
always  craving  after  water.  Chamber-lie  is  best  for  this 
parpds^,  becauise  of  thfe  volatile  Billts  whlclf  it  cbntiainisl,  as 


112  TlIK    HORSE. 

they  are  a  means  of  removing  the  thirst.  For  the  same 
reason,  garlic  is  veiy  efficacious  in  this  disorder.  Two  or 
three  cloves  being  given  in  each  feed ;  or  three  ounces 
bruised,  and  boiled  in  a  quart  of  milk  and  water,  and  given 
every  morning  for  a  fortnight,  has  been  found  very  service- 
able. So  easy  a  remedy  should  never  be  neglected ;  for 
by  warming  and  stimulating  the  solids,  and  at  the  same 
time  dissolving  the  tenacious  juices  which  choke  up  the 
vessels  of  the  lungs,  it  greatly  relieves  this  complaint. 

Moderate  exercise  should  never  be  omitted ;  and  although 
broken-winded  horses  are  not  able  to  endure  much  labor 
the  first  summer,  yet  many  have  been  found  less  oppressed 
the  second,  and  scarcely  perceptibly  affected  the  third, 
being  then  able  to  perform  a  long  journey,  and  to  endure 
gieat  fatigue.  A  horse  kept  constantly  in  the  field,  when 
n'.'t  in  work,  will  be  able  to  do  good  service  for  many  years. 

It  may  not  be  improper  to  observe  that  those  who  hope 
to  cure  a  broken-winded  horse,  or  even  one  that  is  troubled 
w.  ih  an  obstinate  cough,  by  putting  him  to  glass,  will  find 
th  nnselves  wretchedly  mistaken ;  for  on  his  being  taken 
into  the  stable  and  fed  with  dry  meat,  he  will  be  much 
worse  than  before ;  and  some  that  had  only  a  dry  cough 
wK^n  they  were  put  to  grass,  have  returned  broken- winded. 
Therefore  always  remember,  that  if  you  cannot  keep  a 
horse  of  this  description  constantly  abroad,  it  is  best  not  to 
put  him  to  grass  at  all,  as,  instead  of  curing,  it  will  tend  to 
augment  the  disorder. 

In  short,  the  grand  secret  of  managing  horses  of  this 
kind,  consists  in  having  particular  regard  to  their  diet  and 
exercise.  A  moderate  quantity  of  hay  or  corn,  and  water, 
should  be  given  at  a  tiiue,  and  the  former  constantly  mois- 
tened, to  prevent  their  wanting  too  much  of  the  latter. 
They  should  have  moderate  exercise,  but  never  any  that  is 
violent.  By  this  method,  and  giving  the  following  ball  once 
every  fortnight  or  three  weeks,  the  horse  will  be  able  to  df 
good  service  for  many  years. 

6  drams  of  Socotriue  Aloes, 

2  do.  Myn-h, 

2  do.  Galbanum, 

2  do.  Amraoniacum, 

2  oz.  of  Bayberries,  in  powder. 

Make  the  whole  into  a  ball  with  a  little  oil  of  amber,  aatf 


IffE    HORSE.  113 

a  sufficient  quantity  of  syrup  of  buckthorn.  This  ball  ope- 
rates so  gently  that  there  is  no  need  for  confinement,  except 
a  little  the  day  following  that  on  which  it  is  given.  The 
horse  nmst  have  warm  mashes  and  warm  water,  and  the 
utmost  care  must  be  taken  to  prevent  his  catching  cold. 

THE    HIDEBOUND. 

This  disorder  is  too  often  brought  on  by  the  horse  being 
worked  too  hard,  and  badly  kept ;  although  this  is  not  al- 
ways the  case.  When  the  skin  of  a  horse  sticks  so  close 
to  his  ribs  that  it  appears  immovable,  the  horse  is  said  to  be 
hidebound.  But  this  is  not  properly  a  disease,  but  rather 
a  symptom,  being  often  caused  by  previous  disorders,  such 
as  fevers,  convulsions,  surfeits,  worms,  or  disorders  of  the 
kidneys  or  lungs. 

Cure.  As  the  Hidebound  may  proceed  from  various 
causes,  it  is  necessary  to  determine  the  cause,  before  such 
medicines  can  be  applied  as  will  remove  it. 

If  it  owe  its  origin  to  hard  labor  and  want  of  food,  rest 
-and  plenty  will  soon  remove  it.  If  it  is  caused  by  worms, 
worm  medicines  must  be  applied  ;  or  if  it  be  left  by  any  im- 
perfectly-cured disorder,  the  following  drink  must  be  given : 

2  oz.  of  Aniseeds,  in  powder, 
2  do.  Ginger,  in  powder^ 

1  do.  Grains  of  Paradise, 

2  do.  Mustard, 
2  do.  Turaieric. 

All  to  be  powdered,  and  to  be  given  in  warm  ale,  fasting, 
and  to  fast  two  hours  after.  Give  warm  water  two  or 
three  times.  Bleeding,  tapping,  and  physic  are  also  neces- 
sary, when  the  Hidebound  is  left  by  any  disorder. 

THE    FARCY,    OR    FARCIN. 

Symptoms.  At  the  beginning  of  this  disorder  a  few 
small  knobs,  or  tumors,  resembling  grapes,  are  found  on 
the  veins,  which  are  so  painful  to  the  touch  that  the  crea- 
ture shows  evident  marks  of  uneasiness  on  their  being 
pressed  with  the  finger.  They  are  at  first  very  hard,  like 
unripe  gi'apes,  but  in  a  very  little  time  they  grow  soft,  and 
break  and  discharge  a  bloody  matter,  and  become  veiy  foul 
and  unt(  ward  ulcers.  This  disease  appears  in  different 
10* 


tl4  ini;  ijOi:;:i:. 

places  in  dift'ereut  horses.  Some  show  it  first  on  the» 
head;  some  on  the  exUirnai  jugular  vein;  some  on  the 
plate  vein,  extending  from  thence  downward,  on  the  inside 
of  \he  fore-leg,  towards  the  knee,  or  upwards  towards  the 
h;-isket.  In  some  it  first  appears  about  the  pasterns,  or  the 
sides  of  tlie  large  veins,  and  on  the  insides  of  the  thighs, 
extending  towards  the  groin ;  in  others  on  the  flanks, 
spreading  by  degrees  towards  the  lower  belly ;  and  some 
horses  are  nearly  covered  all  over  the  body  at  once. 

Cure.  When  the  Farcy  attacks  only  one  part  of  a 
horse,  and  that  where  the  blood-vessels  are  small,  it  may 
be  easily  cured ;  but  when  the  plate  vein  is  affected,  and 
turns  corded  ;  and  especially  when  the  crural  veins,  within- 
side  the  tliigh,  are  in  that  condition,  the  cure  is  very  diffi- 
cult, and  the  creature  is  rarely  fit  for  any  thing  but  the 
lowest  work  after  it.  Therefore  those  who  depend  upon 
yome  particular  medicine,  and  flatter  themselves  with  being 
}.ble  to  cure  eveiy  species  of  the  Farcy  with  it,  will  find 
themselves  wretchedly  mistaken ;  for  different  medicines 
are  needful,  according  as  the  disease  is  superficial  or  invet 
erate.  The  former  is  easily  cured,  for  sometimes  mode 
rate  exercise  is  sufficient ;  but  the  latter  requires  knowledge 
and  experience ;  and  sometimes  baffles  the  most  skilful,  and 
denes  the  whole  power  of  medicine. 

From  the  above  description  of  this  disease,  it  appears  that 
it  is  of  the  inflammatory  kind,  and  that  the  blood-vessels 
are  affected.  Copious  bleedings  are  therefore  absolutely 
necessary,  especially  if  the  horse  be  fat  and  full  of  blood. 
This  evacuation  always  checks  the  progress  of  the  Farcy 
in  its  beginning,  but  its  good  effects  soon  vanish,  especially 
if  the  horse  be  low  in  flesh.  After  bleeding,  mix  the  fol- 
lowing : 

4  oz.  of  Cream  of  Tartar, 

4  do.  Liver  of  Artimony, 

4  do.  Lenitive  Electuary. 

4  do.  Castile  Soap, 

2  drams  of  Calomel,  8  drams  to  au  ounce. 

Make  these  into  balls,  and  give  two  ounces  a  day  for  some 
time.  While  giving  these  balls,  dissolve  a  little  nitre  in  the 
water  given  to  the  horse  to  drink.  These  medicines  will 
keep  his  body  open,  and  allay  the  inflammatory  heat  of  his 
blood,  which  is  the  principal  cause  of  the  disease ;  and 


THE    HORSE.  115 

while  they  are  given  inwardly  to  remove  the  cause,  let  the 
tumors  be  rubbed  twice  a  day  with  the  following  ointment : 

4  oz.  of  Elder  Ointment, 
4  do.  Flanders  Oil  of  Bays, 
2  do.  White  Vitriol, 

1  do.  Red  Precipitate, 

2  do.  Sugar  of  Lead. 

Beat  all  well  together  into  an  ointment,  and  keep  it  for 
use.  This  ointment  will  soon  disperse  the  tumors,  which 
will  leave  small  bald  spots  on  the  skin,  but  the  hair  will  grow 
again  in  time.  If  the  tumors  break,  and  run  a  thick,  well- 
digested  matter,  it  is  a  sign  that  the  disease  is  conquered, 
and  the  horse  will  soon  be  well ;  but  it  will  be  necessary 
to  give  him  two  ounces  of  liver  of  antimony  every  day  for 
a  fortnight  after,  in  order  to  sweeten  his  blood,  and  disperse 
the  small  bunches  that  remain. 

This  method  will  never  fail,  when  the  small  veins  only 
are  atfected  ;  and  a  short  time  will  complete  the  cure. 

But  when  the  Farcy  affects  the  large  blood-vessels,  the 
cure  is  far  more  difficult.  Let  the  practitioner  always 
attempt  it  at  the  beginning  of  the  disease,  as  he  then  will 
have  fewer  difficulties  to  encounter ;  for  delay  renders  that 
almost  impossible  to  be  overcome  which  at  first  might  have 
been  easily  conquered.  Therefore,  when  the  plate,  or 
crural  veins  are  corded,  lose  no  time,  but  bleed  immediately 
on  tlie  opposite  side,  and  apply  to  the  distempered  vein  the 
following  mixture,  which  is  proper  to  dress  the  wounds 
with,  but  not  before  they  are  broken  out. 

1  dram  of  Corrosive  Sublimate, 
1  oz.  of  Spirits  of  Salt. 

Powder  the  sublimate,  and  put  it  into  a  bottle,  and  put 
the  spirits  of  salt  upon  it  to  dissolve  it;  then  add  two  oun- 
ces of  vinegar,  by  degrees.  This  is  a  very  proper  mixture 
to  dress  the  ulcers  with;  but  if  it  cannot  be  easily  got, 
take — 

6  oz.  of  Oil  of  Turpentine, 

3  do.  of  Oil  of  Vitriol. 

Put  the  pot  in  water  with  the  turpentine  in  it,  and  pour 
the  oil  of  Vitriol  in,  a  little  at  a  time,  and  keep  stirring  it 
till  it  shall  have  subsided.  If  the  Farcy  be  situate  in  the 
Idose  and  fleshy  parts,  such  as  the  flanks  and  the  belly,  the 


*16  THE    HoRlSfi. 

mixture  should  consist  of  equal  parts  of  oil  of  turpentintt 
and  oil  of  vitriol ;  but  when  the  seat  of  the  disease  is  in  tho 
parts  which  are  ^ess  fleshy,  the  proportions  above  are  best 
calculated  to  perform  a  cure.  The  medicine  must  be  used 
in  the  following  manner.  Rub  the  paits  affected,  with  a 
woollen  cloth,  and  then  apply  some  of  the  compound  oil  to 
every  bud  and  tumor.  Continue  this  method  twice  a  day, 
and  at  the  same  time,  give  cooling  physic  every  other  day. 
The  balls  and  nitrous  draughts,  before  mentioned,  will  an- 
swer the  intention.  By  this  treatment,  the  tumors  will  be 
digested,  and  the  cords  dissolved  ;  but  it  will  be  necessary 
to  give  liver  of  antimony  to  complete  the  cure,  and  to  pre- 
vent a  relapse  ;  and  also  to  dress  the  sores,  when  well  di- 
gested, with  a  mixture  of  beeswax  and  oil,  which  will  heal 
them  and  smooth  the  skin. 

Sometimes  the  disease  will  not  yield  to  this  treatment, 
especially  when  situate  near  the  flanks  or  the  lower  belly. 
In  that  case  it  will  be  necessary  to  bathe  the  parts  with  the 
compound  oil,  as  far  as  the  centre  of  the  belly  ;  at  the  same 
time  to  give  a  course  of  antimonial  medicines. 

The  following  composition  is  stronger  than  the  last,  and 
on  that  account  is  often  used  when  the  disease  is  obstinate. 

4  oz.  of  Spirits  of  Wine, 
2     do.    Oil  of  Turpentine, 
4     do.    Oil  of  Vitriol, 

2  do.    Vinegar. 

Mix  all  together,  with  the  caution  before  directed.  When 
this  method  fails,  and  the  disorder  becomes  inveterate,  try 
the  following,  which  is  recommended  by  an  eminent  prac- 
titioner. 

^  pint  of  Linseed  Oil, 

3  oz.  of  Oil  of  Turpentine, 
3     do     Oil  of  Peter, 

2     do.     Oil  of  Bays, 

^     do.     Oil  of  Origanum, 

^     do.     Strong  Aquafortis, 

2     do.     Barbadoes  Tar, 

2  drams  of  Tincture  of  Euphorbium. 

Mix  all  together  with  caution,  as  before  directed.  This 
medicine  must  be  rubbed  on  the  tumors  and  corded  veins 
once  in  two  or  three  days,  observing  that  if  the  mouths  of 
the  ulcers  are  choked  up,  or  so  thick  as  to  confine  the  mat 


THK    HORSE.  117 

ter,  to  open  a  imssage  with  a  amall  hot  iron ;  and  also  to 
destroy  the  proud  flesh,  which  may  be  kept  down  by  touch- 
ing it  occasionally  with  oil  of  vitriol,  aquafortis,  or  butter  of 
antimony. 

In  this  disorder,  these  are  the  best  ways  of  proceeding 
that  have  yet  been  discovered  ;  but  it  is  to  be  considered  as 
an  obstinate  one,  and  is  sometimes  very  bad  to  cure.  It 
has  hitherto  baffled  many  an  able  practitioner,  and  it  is  to 
be  feared  will  baffle  many  more ;  for  when  the  blood  has 
got  into  such  a  corrupted  state,  it  bids  defiance  to  medi- 
cines. 

The  ingenious  Dr.  Brackden  recommends  the  strong  mer- 
curial ointment,  for  rubbing  the  cords  and  tumors  with  before 
they  break ;  and  in  order  to  disperse  them  when  they  are 
broken,  to  dress  the  sores  with  a  mixture  composed  of  equal 
parts  of  Venice  turpentine  and  quicksilver.  If  the  mouth 
become  sore  by  this  means,  a  gentle  purge  should  be  given 
to  prevent  salivation.  This  is  doubtless  a  very  good  method, 
and  if  care  be  taken,  will  often  prove  effectual. " 

A    SPRAIN    IN    THE    SHOULDER. 

When  the  shoulder  of  a  horse  is  sprained,  he  does  not 
put  out  that  leg  like  the  other,  but  in  order  to  ease  it,  sets 
the  sound  foot  firmly  on  the  gi'ound.  When  trotted  in 
hand,  he  performs  a  kind  of  circle  with  his  lame  leg,  in- 
stead of  putting  it  forward ;  and  when  he  stands  in  the 
stable,  that  leg  is  advanced  before  the  other. 

There  is  what  is  called  a  Shoulder-slip,  which  is  worse 
than  a  Sprain.  When  this  happens,  the  horse  can  neither 
lift  his  leg  nor  put  it  forwards.  You  may  know  this  fi'om 
the  shoulder-blade  standing  higher  than  the  other ;  but  to 
discern  that,  you  must  make  him  stand  on  the  lame  leg,  for 
the  leg  he  stands  on  will  always  appear  a  little  higher  than 
the  other.  The  flesh  will  also  shortly  waste  away  from 
the  shoulder-blade,  which  is  a  sure  sign  of  a  Shoulder-slip. 
When  this  accident  has  taken  place,  put  a  tap  into  the  lame 
side  of  the  animal's  breast,  and  blow  the  shoulder  full  of 
wind  with  a  pipe.  When  you  have  rinded  the  skin  to  put 
the  tap  in,  hold  the  skin  ftist  to  the  pipe,  and  blow  the  part 
that  you  have  rinded,  full,  and  let  some  one  draw  the  wind 
up  into  the  shoulder  with  the  edge  of  his  hand,  as  far  a* 


118  THE   HORSE. 

the  shoulder-blade,  aud  then  put  in  the  tap,  or  rowel,  and 
stop  the  hole  up  well  with  tow  and  salve.  Give  warm 
water  for  three  days,  and  then  open  the  place,  stir  the 
tap  round,  and  rub  the  shoulder  all  over  with  the  following 
liniment : 

2  oz.  of  Spirits  of  Wine, 

2     do.     Svi^eet  Oil, 

2     do.     Spirits  of  Sal  Ammoniac. 

Shake  them  well  together,  rub  the  shoulder  well  with 
the  mixture  every  third  day  for  some  time,  and  if  the  horse 
do  not  get  better  with  three  or  four  times  rubbing,  use  the 
following: 

2  oz.  of  Oil  of  Turpentine, 
1     do.    Oil  of  Origanum, 
1     do.    Oil  of  Bricks. 

Shake  these  up  together,  rub  all  on  at  a  time,  and  walk 
the  horse  about  a  little,  afterwards.  When  near  the  sea, 
swimming  in  the  salt  water  is  verj'  proper,  and  I  have  known 
swimming  in  fresh  water  to  be  of  great  use. 

A  Sprain  in  the  shoulder  point,  requires  nearly  the  same 
treatment  as  a  slip,  but  you  need  not  blow  it.  When  it  is 
attended  by  inflammation,  cooling  mixtures,  such  as  extract 
of  lead  and  water,  niust  be  used.  But  when  a  swelhng,  or 
aji  inflammation  takes  place,  it  is  mostly  caused  by  a  hurt, 
or  by  a  stroke  from  another  horse.  If  there  be  no  swell- 
ing, rub  the  shoulder  point  well  with  the  following  mixture, 
every  third  day. 

1  oz.  of  Oil  of  Peter, 
1     do.     Oil  of  Amber, 
1     do.     Oil  of  Spike, 
1     do.     Oil  of  Bricks 

Shake  these  well  together,  and  rub  the  shoulder  point 
every  other  day.     If  the  horse  ye  not  better,  take — 

1  oz.  of  Oil  of  Turpentine 
1     do.     Oil  of  Origanum, 
1     do.     Oil  of  Swallows, 
I     do.     Oil  of  Amber 

Shake  these  together,  and  rub  the  shoulder  point  well 
with  them  every  third  day;  and  if  the  horse  continue 
lame;  recourse  must  be  h»d  to  blistering. 


TK£    MOUSE.  110 


THE    BONE-SPAVIN. 


A-lthougla  this  is  a  common  disorder  among  horses,  yet  it 
is  Httle  understood  by  either  breeders  or  farriers.  The 
Bone-Spavin  is  a  bony  excrescence,  or  hard  swelling  on  the 
inside  of  the  hock  in  a  horse's  leg,  and  sometimes  owes  its 
origin  to  kicks  and  blows,  and  sometimes  to  natural  causes  ; 
but  in  the  former  case  it  is  much  more  easily  cured  than  in 
the  latter ;  and  those  that  grow  spontaneously  on  colts,  or 
young  horses,  are  not  so  bad  as  those  that  appear  in  horses 
that  have  arrived  at  their  full  strength  and  maturity.  In 
old  horses,  they  are  generally  incurable. 

Our  horse-dealers  and  jobbers  make  a  second  kind  of 
Bone-Spavin,  which  they  call  a  Jack,  but  this  is  only  a  pol- 
ished name  for  a  Bone-Spavin,  as  there  is  no  difference 
between  the  two.  Some  call  it  a  Dry  Knot,  but  still  it  is  a 
Bone-Spavin. 

Sometimes  the  horse  is  very  lame  when  the  Spavin  is 
first  coming  out,  and  wken  it  has  come  out,  is  better  for 
some  time,  and  then  grows  lamer  as  the  bone  hardens.  I 
would  advise  you  to  apply  a  blister  as  soon  as  you  have  any 
suspicion  that  a  horse  is  likely  to  put  out  a  Spavin,  and  to 
continue  blistering  eveiy  fortnight,  for  some  time  ;  by  which 
means  you  may  stop  a  Spavin  in  a  young  horse. 

Cure.  Mild  medicines  should  be  used  if  the  horse  is 
young,  as  they  will  in  a  short  time  wear  the  tumor  down 
by  degi'ees,  which  is  much  better  than  trying  to  remove  it 
at  once  by  severer  methods,  which  often  have  a  very  bad 
effect,  and  produce  worse  consequences  than  those  they 
were  intended  to  remove.  But  in  full-grown  horses  they 
are  absolutely  necessary,  and  accordingly,  various  authors 
have  given  prescriptions  for  compounding  medicines  to  an- 
swer the  intention ;  but  I  will  not  enumerate  them  here, 
as  the  blistering  ointment  given  in  the  last  chapter,  will  be 
found  to  answer  better  for  young  horses  than  anything  yet 
found  out ;  and  for  an  old  horse,  or  one  that  has  come  to 
his  full  strength,  you  may  add  a  dram  of  sublimate,  finely 
powdered,  to  two  ounces  of  the  blistering  ointment,  and 
stir  it  well  up. 

Before  these  are  applied,  the  hair  must  be  cut  off  very 
close,  and  then  the  ointment  laid  on  very  thick  on  the  affect 
ed  part.     It  is  proper  to  make  the  application  in  the  morn- 


120  THE   HORSE.  V 

ing,  and  to  keep  the  horse  tied  up  to  tlie  rack  all  daj  with- 
out any  litter ;  but  at  night  he  must  be  littered,  in  order  that 
he  may  lie  down ;  and  to  prevent  the  blister  from  coming 
ofl',  put  a  white  pitch  plaster  over  it,  and  tie  it  on  with 
broad  tape. 

When  the  blister  has  done  running,  and  the  scabs  begin 
to  dry  and  peel  off,  it  should  be  applied  a  second  time  in 
the  same  manner  as  before,  and  the  second  will  have  a 
much  greater  effect  than  the  first. 

When  the  Spavin  has  continued  long,  the  blister  will 
have  to  be  often  r»oewed,  perhaps  five  or  six  times ;  but 
it  is  necessary  to  observe,  that  after  the  second  time,  you 
must  not  be  less  than  three  weeks  before  you  lay  on  the 
third,  or  you  will  destroy  the  roots  of  the  hair,  and  leave 
the  place  bald.  By  these  means,  Bone-Spavins  may  often 
be  cured  ;  but  when  they  fail,  recourse  must  be  had  to  firing. 

Before  you  fire  a  horse  for  the  Bone-Spavin,  be  careful 
to  take  the  vein  out  of  the  way,  for  it  generally  lies  over 
the  Spavin ;  and  you  cannot  fire  deep  enough  to  come  at 
the  callous  substance,  without  its  remov-al.  In  order  to 
destroy  the  vein,  cut  a  nick  through  the  skin  upon  it,  just 
below  the  Spavin,  and  another  just  above  it,  and  put  a 
crooked  needle  under  the  vein,  and  tie  both  ends  :  then  cut 
the  vein  across  between  the  tyings,  both  above  and  below, 
and  you  may  either  draw  the  piece  of  the  vein  out,  or  leave 
it  in. 

Let  the  iron  you  fire  with  be  pretty  sharp ;  cut  four  or 
five  nicks  upon  the  bone,  and  let  the  iron  take  hold  of  the 
superfluous  bone,  in  order  that  it  may  waste  away  by  mat- 
tering ;  and  when  you  have  done,  lay  on  some  white  pitch, 
pretty  hot,  and  put  a  cloth  around  it  to  keep  it  on.  In 
three  days,  open  the  place,  and  dress  it  with  yellow 
basilicon. 

Some  people  put  lunar  caustic,  or  sublimate,  into  the 
places ;  but  it  is  a  dangerous  practice,  and  often  lames  the 
horse  foi-ever.  I  wish  those  who  have  got  a  horse  with  a 
Bone-Spavin,  to  make  a  full  trial  of  the  directions  here 
given,  and  I  trust  they  will  find  them  to  answer  the  pur- 
pose, as  well  as  any  hitherto  found  out. 


THR    HORSR.  121 

THE    BLOOD-SPAVIN,    OR    BOG-Sl'AVlN, 

Many  farriers  and  horse-dealers  divide  this  disease  into 
two  heads,  and  give  them  different  names ;  but  to  my  cer- 
tain knowledge,  they  are  both  one,  for  I  have  proved  it 
many  ways.  A  Blood- Spavin  does  not  come  by  breeding 
from  spavined  mares,  nor  by  being  got  by  spavined  horses, 
as  the  Bone- Spavin  does  ;  but  you  may  safely  breed  out  of 
a  Blood-Spavined  mare,  or  have  foals  got  by  a  Blood-Spav- 
ined horse. 

In  mj^  opinion,  Blood-Spavins  are  generally  brought  on 
either  by  Sprains,  or  hard  labor  when  the  horse  is  young, 
and  sometimes  when  he  is  full-gi'own. 

The  Blood-Spavin,  or  Bog-Spavin,  is  a  dilation  of  the 
vein  that  runs  along  the  inside  of  the  hock,  and  forms  a 
small  soft  swelling  in  the  hollow  part,  which  in  time  ren- 
ders the  creature  lame,  but  seldom  till  the  gelatinous  mat- 
ter becomes  ropy,  like  melted  glue  in  a  bag,  and  is  situate 
on  the  inside  of  the  hough.  Sometimes  it  goes  through  to 
the  back  part  of  the  joint,  and  then  it  is  called  a  thorough- 
pin. 

Cure.  Soon  as  you  discover  the  vein  puffed  up,  or 
forming  a  bag,  lay  on  some  blistering  ointment,  and  in  four 
days  after,  bathe  the  swelling  well  with  hot  vinegar,  with  a 
little  saltpetre  dissolved  in  it.  Also  put  a  bandage  round  it 
to  disperse  the  swelling  as  much  as  you  can.  If  this  me- 
thod do  not  succeed,  you  must  make  two  incisions  in  the 
skin  lengthwise,  as  the  vein  runs,  one  just  above,  and  the 
other  just  below  the  joint,  and  lay  the  vein  bare  ;  then  put 
the  end  of  a  buck's  horn  under  it,  raise  it  up,  and  fasten  it 
in  both  places  with  waxed  thread ;  then  cut  fhe  vein  in 
two  at  both  places,  within  the  tyings,  and  if  you  think  pro- 
per, draw  the  vein  out.  This  method  of  proceeding  will 
cure  most  Bog-Spavins  at  the  beginning.  Spring,  or  the 
back  end  of  the  year,  is  the  most  proper  time  for  this  ope- 
ration ;  but  the  latter  is  preferable,  as  you  can  then  let  the 
horse  run  out  most  of  winter,  which  will  be  of  great  ser- 
vice to  him. 

If  the  above  method  fail  of  a  cure,  you  may  make  an  ia- 

cision  into  the  bag  with  a  knife,  and  let  out  the  gelatinous 

matter,  and  then  dress  the  wound  with  a  digestive  ointment 

tin  the  bag  be  destroyed.     But  this  is  a  dangerqus  method, 

I* 


122  THF,    HORSE, 

and  although  it  may  answer  in  some  cases,  it  will  not  .'ft 
others.  Should  the  joint  run  a  joint-lee,  the  cure  is  not 
to  be  depended  on.  In  old  horses,  nothing  can  be  done 
that  will  be  of  service. 

A    CORB. 

This  is  a  soft  swelling  that  rises  out  of  the  joint  on  the 
back  part  of  the  hind-leg,  just  below  the  hock,  and  mostly 
lames  the  horse,  besides  being  unpleasant  to  the  eye.  To 
cure  it,  strike  a  few  holes  into  it  with  a  pricker,  made  so  as 
just  to  go  through  the  skin ;  then  rub  well  with  oil  of  ori- 
ganum, and  blister  as  often  as  needful. 

A    RING-BONE. 

This  is  so  well  known  that  I  need  not  describe  it,  but 
only  point  out  the  remedy;  yet  I  must  observe,  that  a 
Sprain  in  the  Coffin  is  sometimes  taken  for  a  Pting-Bone, 
when  it  causes  a  rim  to  rise  just  above  the  foot.  Ring- 
Bones  come  out  from  the  pastern,  between  the  fetlock  and 
the  foot ;  but  if  the  pastern  is  long,  they  are  nearer  the 
foot. 

They  will  generally  yield  to  the  same  method  of  cure 
as  a  Corb,  especially  if  just  coming  out ;  but  if  not,  recourse 
must  be  had  to  firing. 

Spleuts,  Osselets,  or  any  other  bony  or  fleshy  sub^i  - 
ces  on  the  legs,  may  be  cured  in  the  same  manner.  A 
Splent  on  the  shank-bone  is  only  a  grievance  to  the  eye, 
and  will  go  away  of  itself  when  the  horse  comes  to  age  •- 
but  the  sooner  those  that  are  near  the  knees  or  the  tendons 
are  removed,  the  better. 

MALLENDERS  AND  SALLENDERS. 

The  first  is  on  the  fore-leg,  at  the  bend  of  the  knee,  and 
die  last  on  the  hind-leg,  at  the  bend  of  the  hough.  They 
crack  and  thr  ^w  out  a  thin  brown  matter,  and  sometimes  a 
hard  scurf,  or  scab,  which  prevents  the  hor?e  from  bending 
the  limbs  which  are  affected,  as  he  should  do. 

Cure.  They  both  proceed  from  the  same  cause,  and 
consequently  require  the  same  treatment;  which  consists 
in  washing  the  parts  with  old  chamberlie   or  a  warm  lather 


THK    HORSE.  12S 

of  soap-suds,  and  afterwards  a|)plying  strong  mercurial 
ointment,  spread  on  tow,  to  the  cracks,  once  a  day  till  the 
scabs  fiill  off,  when  the  cure  will  bo  completed;  and  then 
it  will  be  necessar}^  to  give  him  a  dose  of  physic.  If  the 
disorder  will  not  yield  to  the  meicurial  ointment,  make  a 
strong  mixture  of  vitriol  water,  and  wash  the  cracks  with 
It,  and  it  will  dry  them  up,  and  cause  the  scabs  to  fall  off. 

THE    STRANCtLES. 

Most  horses  have  this  disorder  while  young,  but  at  seven 
years  old  they  are  out  of  danger.  There  are  two  kinds 
of  this  disorder.  The  common  kind  is  a  swelling  under,  or 
between  the  jaw-bones.  The  other,  which  is  called  the 
bastard  kind,  is  much  the  worst.  Sometimes  swellings 
appear  on  the  buttocks,  break,  and  discharge  matter  for  a 
few  days,  and  then  dry  up,  after  which,  others  appear  in 
a  fresh  place  in  the  same  manner.  I  have  known  horses 
that  have  had  this  complaint  eight  or  ten  weeks. 

The  common  kind  begins  with  a  swelling  between  the 
jaw-bones,  which  sometimes  extends  to  the  muscles  of  the 
tongue,  and  is  often  attended  with  so  much  heat,  pain  and 
inflammation,  that  before  the  matter  is  formed  the  crea- 
ture swallows  with  the  utmost  difficulty. 
■  Symptoms.  The  Strangles  is  attended  w^ith  great  heat 
and  fever,  a  painful  cough,  and  great  inclination  to  drink, 
without  being  able.  Some  horses  lose  their  appetites  en- 
tirely, and  others  eat  but  very  little,  occasioned  by  the  pain 
resulting  from  the  motion  of  the  jaws  in  chewing  and  swal- 
lowing. When  the  horse  runs  much  at  the  nose,  it  is  not 
a  good  sign. 

Although  this  disease  is  very  troublesome,  it  is  not  dan- 
gerous, except  when  the  swelling  turns  upwards  against 
the  wind- pipe  and  gullet,  and  then  there  is  danger  of  suffo* 
cation  if  it  do  not  break  soon. 

Cure.  The  Strangles  is  not  properly  a  disease,  but  a 
discharge  common  to  young  horses,  and  therefore  it  follows 
that  the  discharge  must  be  promoted,  in  order  to  throw  ofl 
the  offensive  matter.  The  best  method  of  doing  this  is,  to 
keep  the  swelling  always  soft  by  soaking  it  with  softening 
ointment,  such  as  marshmallows,  or  eider  ointment.  1 
have  known  oil  of  swallows,  with  a  little  spirit'-,  of  harts- 


124  THE    HORSE. 

horn  in  it,  be  veiy  useful  in  bringing  the  swelling  forward, 
and  causing  it  to  break.  A.  cloth  in  the  form  of  a  cap,  put 
on  the  horse's  head,  and  stuffed  with  wool  to  keep  the 
swelling  warm,  will  be  of  great  service.  Some  people  ap- 
ply a  poultice,  but  there  is  no  need  of  this  if  the  above  be 
properly  used.  Give  plenty  of  warm  water,  with  a  little 
meal  in  it ;  for  in  this  disorder  a  horse  cannot  swallow  dry 
meat  enough  for  its  support. 

Sometimes  the  Strangles  gather  four  or  five  times,  and 
break  in  many  places ;  and  you  must  observe  that  if  the 
orifices  are  not  wide  enough,  they  must  be  opened  with  the 
point  of  a  knife,  and  by  this  means  it  will  be  prevented 
from  breaking  out  in  so  many  places.  After  the  sv/eliing 
appears,  it  will  be  five  or  six  days  before  it  breaks  and  dis- 
charges. There  is  always  a  small  discharge  at  the  nostrils, 
but  it  is  little  or  no  gi'ievance  to  the  horse.  ' 

When  the  swelling  is  broken,  and  the  orifice  of  a  proper 
size  to  discharge  the  matter,  dress  with  the  following  oint- 
ment spread  on  tow : 

Take  Yellow  Rosin  and  Burgundy  Pitch,  of  each  one  pound ; 
Honey  and  common  Tui-pentine,  of  each  half  a  pound ;  Bees 
WaXj  four  ounces;  Hog's  Lard,  one  pound  and  a  half;  and  of 
Verdigrise,  finely  powdered,  one  ounce.  Melt  the  ingredients 
together,  but  do  not  put  the  Yerdigrise  in  till  nea:\y  cold, 
and  keep  stirring  all  the  time  till  cold,  or  the  Verdigrise  wvll^ 
fall  to  the  bottom. 

This  is  one  of  the  best  salves  for  wounds  that  has  been 
found  out,  and  especially  for  old  ones. 

The  Bastard  Strangles  requires  the  same  kind  of  treat- 
ment, but  it  is  proper  to  give  the  horse  a  dose  or  two  of 
calomel  physic  also. 

THE   GLANDERS. 

This  disease  has  banled  all  who  have  ti'ied  to  cure  it,  and 
probably  will  do  so  to  the  end  of  time  ;  so  I  advise  those 
who  may  have  a  glandered  horse,  to  put  him  off  as  soon  as 
they  shall  be  certain  that  he  is  so.  People  often  mistake 
other  disorders  for  the  Glanders.  A  violent  cold  sometimes 
causes  a  running  at  the  nostrils,  and  kernels  under  the 
jaws,  when  the  horse  is  free  from  the  Glanders.  Some 
times  a  running  at  the  nostrils  is  caused  by  laying  too  much 


THE    HORSE.  125 

weight  on  the  horse.  1  once  bought  one  at  Boroughbridge 
fair,  which  I  soon  after  sold,  and  eleven  weeks  after,  had 
him  returned  fis  a  glandered  horse ;  but  I  kept  him  for 
some  time  afterwards,  and  he  neither  infected  others,  nor 
lost  his  flesh.  This  horse  was  bought  from  a  miller,  who 
had  overloaded  him,  which  caused  him  to  bleed  at  the 
nose ;  afterwards  he  began  to  run  at  the  nose,  and  did  so 
duriTig  tlie  time  that  1  had  him,  which  was  nearly  half  a 
year.     I  do  not  pretend  to  cure  this  disorder. 

Symptoms.  The  matter  discharged  from  the  nostrils 
of  a  glandered  horse,  is  either  white,  yellow,  greenish,  or 
streaked  or  tinged  with  blood.  When  the  disease  has  been 
of  long  standing,  and  the  bones  are  fouled,  the  matter  turns 
blackish,  and  becomes  very  bad. 

The  Glanders  is  always  attended  with  a  swelling  of  the 
kernels,  or  glands  under  the  jaws,  but  in  every  other  re- 
spect, the  horse  is  generally  healthy  and  sound,  till  the 
disorder  has  continued  some  time,  and  the  morbid  matter 
has  affected  other  parts. 

If  a  thin,  limpid  fluid  be  first  discharged,  and  afterwards 
a  whitish  matter — if  the  gland  under  the  jaw  do  not  con- 
tinue to  swell,  and  the  disorder  shall  have  been  recently 
contracted,  a  speedy  cure  may  be  effected  by  applying  the 
following : 

1  oz.  of  iloHch.  Alum., 
1  do.  White  Vitriol. 

Powder  these  well,  put  them  into  a  pint  of  warm  vine- 
gar, and  syringe  about  an  ounce  up  his  nostrils  every  day. 
This  may  do  good  if  the  disorder  be  newly  caught. 

SCRATCHES. 

This  disease  is  the  forerunner  of  the  Grease,  and  is  a 
hot  oozing  matter  that  breaks  out  hke  kins,  with  a  nauseous 
smell.  It  is  very  ti'oublesome  to  a  horse,  causing  his  heels 
to  look  red  and  angry,  and  to  be  very  sore ;  and  sometimes 
it  is  so  violent  as  to  render  a  horse  lame,  and  unfit  for  use. 

If  you  do  not  bleed  and  physic  as  soon  as  you  find 
a  heat  in  a  horse's  heels,  you  may  seen  have  him  laid 
up  with  the  Grease.  Sometimes  in  slight  touches  of  this 
complaint,  the  heels  are  not  hotter  than  usual.  In  that 
case,  take  a  little  flour  of  sulphur,  and  spirits  of  wine,  mix 


Vi^i  '      THK,   Jiou.Sr:. 

iheui  to;:erhev  into  an  ointment,  and  fill  the  cracks  well  with 
it.  When  the  disorder  is  too  hot  to  be  healed  by  this  oint- 
ment, rub  with  a  little  ^^^gyptiacum  ointment,  but  be  care- 
ful not  to  lay  too  much  on,  for  it  is  a  great  drier. 

Rat-tails  at  first  resemble  the  Grease,  and  are  attended 
with  a  hot,  scorbutic  humor  at  the  beginning,  and  often  by 
neglect,  destroy  the  roots  of  the  hair,  and  then-therais  no 
complete  cure  for  them ;  but  they  may  be  relieved  by  rub- 
bing with  equal  parts  of  strong  mercurial  ointment  and 
Flanders  oil  of  bays. 

If  a  horse  have  got  the  Scurvy,  or  Scabs  on  his  legs, 
this  ointment  v»'ill  mostly  take  them  off;  but  if  not,  mix 
well  with  hog's  lard,  one  dram  of  sublimate,  in  fine  pow- 
der. These  two  last  mixtures  will  cure  most  Scabs,  and 
mixed  together,  they  will  cure  the  Itch. 

WINDGALLS. 

These  are  mostly  on  the  hind-legs,  near  the  fetlock,  but 
I  have  known  them  above  the  fetlock,  and  on  the  arm. 
Windgalls  are  not  only  eye-soreSj  but  lame  many  a  horse. 
Many  methods  are  tried  to  disperse  them  without  effect. 
If  you  put  your  finger  '^'"  one  side,  and  your  thumb  on  the 
other,  and  press  with  one  of  them,  you  will  find  the  Wind- 
gall  to  go  quite  through  the  leg.  The  reason  that  they  are 
mostly  on  the  hind-legs  is,  because  the  horse  stands  lower 
behind  thaij  before,  and  throws  most  weight  on  the  hind- 
legs. 

Cure.  On  the  first  appearance  of  a  Wiudgail,  bathe  the 
place  well  with  w^arm  vinegar  and  spirits  of  wine,  and  put 
a  pretty  tight  bandage  round  it.  If  this  do  not  remove  it, 
lay  on  blistering  ointment  till  the  cure  shall  be  completed. 
But  should  this  method  also  fail,  which  it  seldom  does,  you 
must  lay  the  WindgaU  open,  and  dress  it  as  a  common 
wound.  Before  you  use  the  knife,  be  careful  to  get  the 
horse's  body  into  a  proper  cool  state,  by  physic. 

Some  people  fire,  to  cure  Windgalls,  running  tlie  iron 
on  the  skin,  (what  is  called  scoring,)  but  thereby  do  little 
good,  as  that  cannot  destroy  the  bag  of  wind  and  matter. 
It  may  draw  the  skin  a  little  tighter,  so  that  the  Windgall 
will  not  appear  so  large. 


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j  'possess  a  copy  of  this,  by  far  the  most  elegant  work,  ever  published^ 
the  subject.  ,         . 


JUST      PUBLISHED. 

THE  COMPLETE 


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11  f  aiw: 


CONTAINING   AN    ACCOUNT   OF   EVERT 

V]Sa£STABZ.Z:    P3EIODVCTZON 

CTTTIVATED    FOR 
WITH 

DIRECTIONS  FOR  PLANTING  AND  RAISLNG  FLOWERS 
Price  Twesitzj^Five  Cents^ 


